


A Little Piece Of Purgatory

by AlElizabeth



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Escape, Family, Friendship, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Rescue, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-04-14 19:06:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4576296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlElizabeth/pseuds/AlElizabeth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU set Season 8. Dean returns from Purgatory without any help from Sam. In fact, it's clear to Dean that Sam didn't even try to rescue him. Ready to confront his brother, Dean's anger soon turns to fear when he realizes that Sam is missing. Anxious to know what has happened, Dean calls Kevin Tran, who reveals the terrifying truth of Sam's whereabouts and that he must rescue his brother from the clutches of an old enemy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

Dean drove with all-speed towards Rufus Turner's old cabin. If Sam was alright, Dean knew his brother would be there.

The eldest Winchester pushed the stolen car as far as he dared without being pulled over by the cops and glanced ever so often at his cell phone sitting silent and still on the passenger's seat. After helping Benny out, Dean had called his brother's number- the phone had miraculously survived the vacation in Purgatory- only to receive no reply.

Dean told himself not to panic. It was likely that Sam had turned his phone off or didn't have it nearby. Yeah, Dean believed that.

The sight of the cabin did nothing to ease the eldest Winchester's worries. Pulling into the gravel driveway, Dean noticed that his beloved Impala was nowhere to be seen. If Sam had managed to escape the SucroCorp building than he surely would have taken the classic Chevy with him. Dean shut off the stolen car's engine and slipped out, his boots crunching on the tiny stones as he warily walked up the drive. Frowning, Dean crossed the unkempt yard and peered into the cabin's front window; it was dark and deserted inside.

"Shit," Dean swore and jimmied the lock, the door creaking in protest as it swung open on stiff hinges.

It was clear from the chill and dust that the cabin had not been inhabited for a long time.

Doesn't mean anything, Dean told himself; Sam's probably out motel-hopping, working cases.

Dean trudged into the kitchen, grabbed a box of matches from the junk drawer and lit the hurricane lamp that sat on the coffee table. As he looked around the now illuminated cabin, Dean's breath caught in his chest. Sam's duffle bag was sitting on top of the one of cabin's two single beds, exactly where he had left it before going they left to kill Dick Roman. Dean's own duffle sat on the mussed sheets of the second bed.

Moving like a man in a dream, Dean picked up his brother's duffel and unzipped it, staring at the clothes inside as though they would somehow give him answers.

"Where the hell are you, Sammy?" Dean asked out loud and dropped the bag, rubbing at his tired eyes.

Remembering that he had left his phone in the purloined car, Dean stepped out onto the low porch. It had started to drizzle but Dean barely noticed as he opened the passenger door and grabbed his phone. Rain dripped onto the screen as Dean opened his contact list and hit his brother's number again.

The phone rang and rang and rang. Dean hung up.

Staring at his brother's number, Dean finally scrolled down and hit the call button once more.

"Agent Guildenstern speaking," the wiry, brown-haired hunter's voice quipped almost immediately.

"Garth?" Dean asked even though he knew who it was.

There was a pause and for one crazy moment Dean thought the other man was going to hang up on him.

"Dean? As in, Dean Winchester?" Garth asked and Dean held back the urge to sigh in exasperation.

"Yeah," he answered but before he could say more, the skinny hunter interrupted him.

"Where've you been? What's new?" Garth squeaked happily.

"Uh… It's a long story… boring actually," Dean explained, "I'll tell you later, okay?"

"Sounds great and hey, I'll even buy the beers when you do!" Garth exclaimed excitedly.

Sure, Dean thought, and I'll be the one to carry you out.

"Listen, have you heard from Sam lately? I can't reach his number; did he change it or something?" Dean asked seriously.

Again there was a pause, longer this time and filled with confusion on Garth's end, "Sam? I thought he was with you."

Dean closed his eyes, "No, he… ah… wait, you haven't heard from him at all?"

"No, not since the attack on SucroCorp," Garth's voice grew grave, "That was… jeez… a year ago now? Yeah, everyone thinks you two went underground after the Leviathans bit the dust."

Dean's mouth dried out at his fellow hunter's words.

"Dean? Where have youbeen?" Garth's voice became suspicious, strange coming from the spunky little hunter.

"Doesn't matter," Dean said, "I need to know where Sam is."

"Well, I can tell you that he ain't with me," Garth told him and Dean swore out loud.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" the small hunter asked, now concerned.

"Call around for me will ya? Ask if anyone's seen or heard from Sam," Dean told him although he was sure that no one in the hunting community would have any information.

"Aye aye Captain!" Garth cried and ended the call.

Sighing, Dean leaned against the car, ignoring the rainwater soaking into his shirt.

Dean tried to clear his mind, tried to recall the events of a year ago when he, Sam, Castiel and Meg had traveled to Dick Roman's headquarters to put an end to his plans of turning Americans into Happy Meals.

Frowning, Dean struggled to hold on to the exact details of that day. The one thing that stuck out in his mind above all else was getting blasted to Purgatory after stabbing Roman.

"C'mon Dean! Think!" he snarled and rubbed his temples with his thumbs as if that would help.

"Kevin," Dean breathed and his head shot up. Kevin Tran, the Prophet had been there that day. It was a long shot, Dean knew, but if Kevin was anything like Chuck than he was bound to know where Sam was.

Dean ran back into the cabin, mud splashing his boots and jeans but he could have cared less. Slamming and bolting the door, Dean crossed to the beds and sat down on his before scrolling down to Kevin's number in his contact list.

The phone rang and rang and rang much like Sam's had before Dean was awarded with a voice mail message.

"Kevin," Dean began, speaking quickly, "It's Dean Winchester. You probably don't remember me but if you know where my brother is, give me a call… please."

Dean took a deep breath afterwards and stared at the phone. He frowned and decided that his message had been pretty shitty and knew that he wouldn't call back if he was Kevin.

Hitting the Prophet's number again, Dean tried to appear less frantic and explain himself a little bit.

"Kevin, it's me again… Dean Winchester," He cringed, "I know you probably don't want to talk to me and I don't blame you but my brother, Sam, well he's missing and I need your help to find him. Please call me when you get this message."

Dean lowered the phone and sighed. Kevin really didn't owe him anything, there was no reason for the kid to help him find his brother but Dean didn't know what else to do.

Exhausted both mentally and physically, Dean shoved his duffle bag onto the floor, slipped his boots off and laid down on the bed, cell phone gripped tightly in one fist in case Kevin or Garth got back to him.

W

Sunlight slanted through the cabin's dusty curtains and cut right across Dean's closed eyelids. Groaning, the eldest Winchester rolled over onto his stomach, dropping his phone to the hardwood floor as he did so.

The clatter had Dean wide awake in seconds. Searching for the threat, Dean relaxed when he remembered where he was and wiped a hand over his face.

Leaning over the bed, Dean scooped up his phone and slumped his shoulders dejectedly when he saw that he had no new messages.

Aware that he wouldn't make his phone ring any sooner if he sat in bed staring at it all day; Dean slowly got up and grabbed his duffle bag. Rifling through the contents, Dean picked out a clean pair of jeans and a blue and black plaid button-down shirt and found that he was actually looking forward to taking the first real shower he'd had in a year.

Not willing to chance missing a call, Dean took his cell into the bathroom with him and jacked the volume up to its highest level.

Dean turned the water up as hot as he could stand it and relished the warmth streaming down from the showerhead.

Although Dean would have liked to enjoy the convenience of running water for a while longer, he was anxious to hear news of his brother.

Stepping from the bathtub and toweling himself dry in record time, Dean quickly pulled his fresh clothes on and flung open the bathroom door, half expecting Sam to come striding into the cabin with a paper bag and drink tray in hand.

No dice. Not that Dean was all too surprised. The Winchesters were never that lucky.

Walking to the window, Dean peered outside at the soggy yard and driveway, careful to not disturb the salt line on the sill.

"There's no place like home," Dean muttered to himself and turned away from the window.

Dean palmed his cell phone, not sure if he should try Kevin Tran again; for all he knew, the kid had listened to his messages but had decided to ignore them.

"Kevin," Dean began, feeling worn out already, "You don't have to like me or anything… I don't care if you hate me… just… if you know where Sam is… please let me know… just tell me that one thing and I'll never talk to you again if that's what you want."

Dean blinked when his eyes began to burn and because he had nothing better to do he tried Sam's number. When all Dean heard was his brother's tinny voice recording, Dean threw his phone on the floor and then scrambled to pick up the pieces when the back popped off and the battery slid across the hardwood. Dean sat down heavily as he fiddled with his phone, cursing the object as he struggled to wiggle the battery back into position.

Everything was so much easier in Purgatory, Dean thought absentmindedly as he clicked the back of his phone into place; it was just kill or be killed.

"Huh, gotta love the simplicity," the eldest Winchester muttered.

Dean's stomach chose that moment to remind him of its presence, emitting a loud whine, so the young man headed for the kitchen.

Pursuing the cabinets, Dean smiled when he found a can of chili and deftly opened it, pouring the contents into a battered saucepan before setting it on the stove to heat up.

Once the chili was bubbling and steaming, Dean grabbed a fork and proceeded to eat right out of the pot but found that he didn't want it. Worry for his brother had settling into the pit of Dean's stomach and made the previously delicious-smelling food wholly unappetizing.

Dropping the pot back onto the stove, Dean ran a hand through his hair and looked hopefully at his phone.

With nervous fingers, Dean punched in Garth's number and waited.

"Agent Guildenstern at your service," Dean breathed a sigh of relief when the little hunter answered.

"Have you heard anything?" Dean asked, trying to keep desperation from colouring his voice.

"Dean, I'm sorry," Garth apologized, "I don't know what to tell you… no one had any idea where Sam is… I even called some of my friends from the Great White North but they haven't seen your brother either."

Dean exhaled audibly.

"Maybe Sam just fell off the grid," Garth suggested, "I mean, if you don't even know where he could be-"

Dean nodded, "Yeah, I get you."

"Thanks anyway," the eldest Winchester muttered and closed his phone before the other hunter could say anymore.

Dean rubbed at his eyes for a moment before going back into the kitchen and scraping the chili into the garbage, knowing he wouldn't be eating it anytime soon.

For the next few hours Dean paced around the cabin's small den, periodically calling Kevin Tran's number and receiving no reply in return.

W

It was growing late in the evening when Dean's cell phone vibrated and trilled out the chords to 'Smoke on the Water'. Dean practically jumped on the device and squished it painfully against his ear.

"Hello?" Dean asked.

"Dean, its Kevin," the eldest Winchester gripped the phone even tighter and with excitement and anxiety.

"Do you know where Sam is?" Dean asked before the younger man could get another word out.

"Uh… I think I might," Kevin answered with trepidation, "But I have to tell you something first… It's really important."

Dean bit his lip and nodded, "Yeah, okay. What is it?"

"Well, uh… I think Crowley… you know, the demon? He's got Sam," Kevin muttered nervously and Dean's heart just about stopped beating.

"What?" Dean asked and a shiver of fear ran down his spine.

"Let me explain, okay?" Kevin said frantically.

Dean closed his eyes, "Talk."

"Well, Crowley was after me 'cause of the whole Prophet thing and he grabbed me while you and Sam were going after Dick Roman," Kevin began, his voice low and secretive.

Dean tried to stay calm and listen to the kid even though he wished he could throttle his scrawny neck for taking so long to call.

"He wanted me to translate the tablet-" Kevin began again but Dean interrupted him, "And did you?"

"No! Well, some of it but not the stuff he wanted," Kevin exclaimed, sounding insulted.

"Okay, so if Crowley's goons kidnapped you than how are you calling me right now," Dean asked suspiciously.

"I escaped. The tablet, it's all about demons and hell and how to stop them," Kevin told him excitedly, "Well, at least the part I managed to translate was… I think it has some other stuff too but-"

Dean started to grind his teeth in irritation and Kevin stopped mid-sentence.

"Anyway, there was this passage that described how to make these bomb things that would blast away any demon that comes into contact with them… so I tricked Crowley's lackeys into bringing me the ingredients and… well, I blew them to smithereens… and got out of there when I could," Kevin explained, his voice becoming more and more grave and scared-sounding as he continued.

"Why didn't Crowley notice what had happened and stop you before you high-tailed it out of there?" Dean asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer to the question.

Kevin cleared his throat, "I… uh… think he was with Sam."

"Fuck!" Dean swore into the phone, "Are you sure, Kevin? Absolutely sure that bastard's got Sam?"

"Yes," Kevin squeaked, "I s-saw him."

Dean clenched the phone tight enough that he was worried he'd break it.

"Where are you now?" he asked the young man.

"Dean," Kevin said quietly, "I'm on the run; please."

"Oh no," the eldest Winchester snarled, "You're not getting out of this so easy."

"But-" Kevin protested but was interrupted by Dean, "You could have helped Sam escape but you left him instead!"

Kevin gulped, "Crowley can't find me! He's gonna be livid!"

Dean was just about seeing red, "I'm livid!"

"I can tell you where Crowley's keeping him!" Kevin said quickly, clearly terrified of the hunter.

"Fine," Dean bit out sourly, "You wouldn't be much help with this anyway."

Kevin gave Dean the address of Crowley's hideout and the hunter quickly grabbed a pen from his pocket and scrawled it on his hand.

"Dean, I'm sorry," Kevin apologized but the eldest Winchester had already hung up the phone.

W

Dean gripped the stolen car's steering wheel with white knuckles. Garth stared out the window, wisely keeping his mouth shut. He had immediately agreed to help Dean rescue Sam- he considered both Winchesters his friends and it wouldn't be right to refuse- and had tried to suggest bringing more hunters in. Dean had adamantly refused though, saying that it was a two-man job only and Garth hadn't argued even though he knew about a dozen or more hunters who would love the chance to rescue one of their own from the clutches of a demon.

"How much farther?" Dean asked gruffly and Garth almost jumped out of his skin. Dean had barely spoken since he'd pulled up to Rufus Turner's cabin hours earlier.

"Take the next off-ramp," Garth told his friend as the car's headlights illuminated the green road signs.

Dean felt his heart beat pick up with excitement. Garth always seemed to surprise him.

"How'd you know about it?" Dean asked curiously.

Garth shrugged, "The TV news was covering the attack on SucroCorp and I saw your car… knew that if you and Sam ever came back you'd want it. I couldn't let it sit in some impound lot for months until they sold it. I knew a mechanic who owed me one and I had him tow your car to his place for safekeeping until I could bring it here. Besides, since Bobby's not around anymore, someone has to look out for you Winchesters."

Dean grimaced slightly and nodded, "Thanks."

"Besides, I know you'd do the same for me."

Dean thought about Garth's crappy, rust-bucket pickup and knew there'd be no chance in hell that he'd save it.

"So, ah, Dean… I'm all for going in to this thing with guns blazing and all but why only the two of us? I mean, we don't even know how many demons there are," Garth asked, feeling like he wouldn't necessarily get his head bit off if he brought up the subject now.

"The demon who's got Sammy is an old enemy," Dean said, "It's another long story."

Garth seemed to accept that answer- or realize that was as good an explanation as he was going to get- and nodded.

"Take a right, here," Garth spoke up and leaned forward in his seat as they approached their destination.

Twenty-five minutes later Dean parked the stolen car in front of a long-term storage facility called Hal's Cheap Storage and followed Garth as he walked up to the office.

Dean waited outside while the spunky little hunter talked to the guy at the counter- Hal himself maybe- and squinted at the flashing red and blue neon sign proclaiming that the lockup was OPEN 24/7!

The bell tinkled merrily as Garth exited the office and made a bee-line for the storage units.

Dean had to jog to catch up with the wiry hunter, "What was that about?"

Garth shrugged as he walked, "Hal's an old friend… let's me rent for free."

Dean frowned and looked back toward the office, not quite being able to picture the fat, balding Hal as a chum of Garth's.

"You certainly have a lot of friends," Dean muttered.

Garth chuckled, "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, compadre."

Dean just shook his head and followed the smaller man to his storage unit.

Garth opened the garage-like door with a flourish and Dean was inside before he could even turn on the lights.

Dean barely glanced at the shelves filled with occult paraphernalia, his eyes on the tarp-covered form of what was surely his baby.

The fluorescent lights buzzed loudly when Garth flicked the switch and Dean grabbed the blue plastic covering his car and pulled it down.

Dean felt a lump in his throat when he saw his Impala, slightly dusty but otherwise in perfect condition.

"Did your mechanic friend fix her up too?"

Garth nodded.

"Thanks," Dean said a little too huskily than he would have liked but Garth just blushed and waved one hand.

"Don't worry about it," Garth mumbled.

Dean laid a hand on the cool metal of the Impala's hood and bent down to kiss her.

"You ready to go rescue Sammy?" he whispered to the car, not caring much if Garth overheard.

Excited to get behind the wheel of his most prized possession Dean tried the door and frowned when it wouldn't open. Patting down his jacket pockets, Dean realized that he, of course, didn't have the car keys. He remembered giving them- reluctantly- over to Meg so she could distract the Leviathans so he and Sam could sneak into SucroCorp unnoticed.

"Shit," Dean muttered, loath to break into and hotwire his own car.

A jingling sound had the eldest Winchester looking up at Garth as the little hunter fiddled with a key ring.

"Couldn't have my friend tow it all the way here so I had a locksmith make a key," Garth explained.

Dean smiled, looking like he could hug the smaller man. Instead, he put an arm around Garth's shoulders and gave him a companionable shake.

Plucking the key from Garth's fingers, Dean unlocked the driver's side door and slid in behind the wheel.

Sighing happily, Dean turned on the radio and grinned when the first harmonica chords of Black Sabbath's 'The Wizard' began playing. Dean gunned the engine and peeled out of the unit, pausing only long enough for Garth to lock his storage up once more and climb into the passenger's seat.

W

Dean's pleasure at having his car back again quickly waned. Soon all he could think about was his brother and Crowley. Garth even lapsed into silence as well and fidgeted nervously in his seat.

The address of the demon's most recent hideout seemed burned into Dean's brain and the hunter couldn't seem to get there fast enough.

Ignoring the posted speed limits, Dean wished the Impala would grow wings but settled for barreling down the highway instead.

In Purgatory, Dean had convinced himself that Sam had given up on him because he had been forced to find his own way out with help from Benny and Cas instead of his brother. Dean had even started hating Sam, thinking that he had been abandoned by the person he cared about the most. Now Dean knew better. Sam couldn't have attempted to rescue him if he was indeed being held captive by Crowley. Dean felt guilty for even thinking that Sam would just leave him to rot. He should have known better.

Dean directed the anger he'd once felt for Sam toward Kevin. The kid had known that Crowley had Sam and yet he ran without looking back once, only concerned with saving himself. Dean wasn't sure if he was being selfish for thinking Kevin should have helped his brother- the Prophet barely knew them- but quickly squashed that thought. Dean and Sam lived to help people- strangers they didn't know- at the risk of losing their own lives. Kevin was just a coward.

As they approached their destination, Garth spoke up.

"Dean, uh, how are we going to exorcise all the demons? I mean, as great as it would be, they're not all going to stand in a Devil's Trap for us," the wiry hunter asked, voicing a thought that had been troubling him since they'd left Rufus' cabin.

"We're not going to exorcise them, Garth," Dean answered simply, "We're going to kill them."

"Oh," Garth replied, "Alright then."

Dean peered at the smaller hunter from the corner of his eye, "Trust me."

The two men fell quiet as Dean concentrated on finding the address he needed. It was early morning now- the sky had turned pink and orange in the east- but Dean didn't feel the least bit like he'd been driving all night. Adrenaline was good for that.

Dean drove through the city's industrial section slowly, practically glaring at the street signs as he sought the correct one. Garth sat up straight and still in his seat, eyes wide as he too searched out Crowley's newest headquarters.

Dean turned onto the proper street and hid the Impala behind an abandoned poultry processing plant. Getting out of the car and palming the keys, Dean unlocked the trunk and rifled through the weapons bag until he found what he wanted. Garth stood at attention beside the open trunk, surveying their surroundings.

The wiry hunter jumped when Dean pushed a Seraph Blade into his hand.

"What is this? I've never seen a knife like this before?" Garth asked, turning the angel blade over curiously in his hand.

"It'll kill demons," Dean explained as he grabbed Ruby's demon-killing knife and slammed the trunk shut.

Garth looked at Dean with wide eyes and followed the eldest Winchester's lead as he climbed over the poultry plant's fence so that they could enter Crowley's through the back.

W

As silently as a shadow, Dean opened the rusted rear door and slipped inside, Garth following close behind him.

Using hand signals, Dean directed the other hunter to take the opposite end of the hall. Garth gulped and nodded, scurrying quietly away from Dean, angel blade held at the ready.

Dean smiled, knowing that Garth was a good hunter in his own right and would put up one hell of a fight against any demon stupid enough to try and stop him.

The eldest Winchester crept silently and quickly down the hallway, ears pricked for the sounds of footsteps and eyes wide for the sight of shadows.

Just as Dean turned the corner, however, he felt strong hands grab his shoulders and he was thrown into the wall, his breath knocked out of him.

Falling to a heap on the floor, Dean lashed out at the demon when it reached down to grab him again, stabbing the monster in the throat. The demon lit up with orange fire and crumpled, dead.

Standing quickly, Dean took a moment to catch his breath before continuing onward. He hoped that Garth was alright and was holding his own against the demon sentries.

Cautiously, Dean walked down the hallways, not even sure where he was going- the old warehouse was immense, full of twisting corridors that all looked the same- but felt certain that if Crowley didn't already know he was here, he would soon.

Dean froze when a demon approached him but smiled, "Hey, I'm looking for the men's room, do you know where it is?"

The demon made to grab Dean but the hunter easily sidestepped him and stabbed the monster in the back.

At the end of the hall, Dean opened a door marked 'STAIRS' and decided to use them. Climbing downwards, Dean kept the demon-killing knife raised, knowing that he'd be screwed if he encountered a monster on the narrow staircase. Looking down, Dean gulped at the long drop to the bottom.

Dean stopped at a landing and peered at the door that likely led to another maze of hallways and decided to take his chances. Pushing open the heavy door, Dean grinned as he came face to face with a demon.

Before Dean could react, the monster grabbed his shirt and pulled him through the open doorway, causing him to stumble as it flung him.

"Hey!" Dean gasped as his head collided with the wall and Ruby's knife slipped from his fingers.

The demon smirked and wrapped its hands around Dean's throat. Although weaponless, Dean wasn't about to stop fighting and jammed his thumbs into the demon's eyes.

The demon reared his head back and tightened his grip on Dean's neck. The hunter gasped desperately for air, wishing that his brother was there for backup.

Just when Dean thought it was the end, the demon's mouth gaped wide and orange fire flashed inside from its eyes as it died. Dean tore the monster's hands away from his throat and looked up to see Garth standing behind the demon.

"Garth! Thank!" Dean wheezed and the small hunter offered him a salute with the blade of the angel sword.

"You weren't kidding when you said this thing would kill demons," Garth said happily and dusted Dean's jeans off as the eldest Winchester rubbed his sore throat, "Where can I get me one of these?"

"I'll tell you later," Dean muttered, "Right now let's just get Sam and get the hell out of here."

Garth nodded and the two men took off down the hallway.

"Do you know where the demon's holding your brother?" Garth asked quietly as they jogged down the corridor.

Dean shook his head.

"Damn," Garth swore and skidded to a halt as he laid eyes on a figure that Dean had yet to notice.

"Hello Dean," Crowley drawled in his British accent, "Back from the dead again, I see."

Dean didn't even stop, raising the demon-killing knife high he aimed straight for Crowley's chest.

Before he could assassinate the King of Hell though, Dean felt a sensation similar to that of Cas' 'angel teleportation' and found himself and Crowley standing in a completely new part of the warehouse. The only lights came from the fluorescent bars along the ceiling and Dean got the distinct idea that they were underground.

"Where's Garth?" Dean asked and lowered the knife.

"Exactly where we left him," Crowley explained, "All I did was relocated you and myself to somewhere more private."

"Where's Sam?" Dean ground out, his grip on the demon-killing knife never faltering.

Crowley beckoned Dean to follow him with one hand and reluctantly the hunter did, itching to stab the demon in the back.

"If you do that, Dean," Crowley cautioned, apparently aware of what he was thinking, "You'll never see Sammy again."

Dean looked over his shoulder and saw a quartet of demons following at a distance. They were all tall and broad-shouldered and could probably snap him in half with ease.

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Dean knew he had little choice but to do what Crowley wanted.

The King stopped before a rusty metal door and produced a key from the inside pocket of his black suit jacket.

"Sam's in there?" Dean asked, both horrified and somewhat skeptical; he wouldn't put it past the demon to trick him.

Crowley nodded and rolled his eyes, unlocking the door as he did so. Dean peered cautiously into the dark room. The demon reached past Dean and clicked on the light switch.

"Sammy!" Dean choked out and stepped over the threshold.

The room was small- the floors were concrete, the walls unpainted cinderblock- with the rusted metal frame of a bed bolted to the floor along one wall. Dean guessed that the room had once been an infirmary or a nurses' station for workplace injuries.

Sam was curled up in a ball by the empty bed frame; clad only in a pair of filthy jeans, he trembled visibly.

"Sam," Dean breathed and felt bile rise up his throat. His grip on Ruby's knife loosened as his fingers went slack with shock.

Crowley brushed past the eldest Winchester and walked forward, "Sammy, I've got a surprise for you."

Sam's only reaction to the demon's voice was to scrunch himself into a tighter ball and Dean felt himself moving forward, needing to comfort his little brother.

"Sammy," Dean called, "It's okay… I'm here."

Dean's heart broke when his brother didn't move.

"Don't tell me you don't even recognize your own brother when he's right in front of you," Crowley mocked and Dean's heart leaped when Sam looked over his shoulder, eyes going wide when he caught sight of his sibling.

Dean watched as Sam slowly, painfully uncurled himself from the fetal position and sat up weakly on his knees. Dean felt his own knees wobbly traitorously at the sight of his brother. Sam was terribly thin and dirty. Grime and dried blood coated almost every inch of exposed skin. His green eyes looked far too large for his narrow face; sadness and fear visible in the jade orbs.

Dean turned to Crowley and before the demon could stop him, landed a punch across the fiend's mouth. The King of Hell didn't even stagger back but took the white handkerchief from his breast pocket and dabbed at the blood flowing from the corner of his lip.

"I guess in your opinion I deserved that," Crowley muttered and Dean glared at the demon.

Dean stepped forward, not giving the demon a second thought, and grimaced when Sam shuffled toward him on his knees, clearly too weak to stand. Sam's progress was cut short however by the shackle locked around his ankle, the other end attached to one of the bed frame's rusty legs.

"D'n!" Sam cried piteously and reached toward his sibling with trembling hands.

Dean tried to move forward but found he was impeded by an invisible force. Turning again to Crowley, Dean saw that the demon was smirking.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Dean snarled furiously.

"You didn't think I'd make it that easy, did you?" Crowley asked, his tone amused.

"Let me go, you son of a bitch!" Dean yelled, fingers forming a fist around the handle of Ruby's knife.

"Now that," Crowley began easily, "That is exactly the kind of tone that tells me you don't want your brother back."

Dean clenched his jaw in anger and tried to calm down… or at least resist the urge to shout at the demon.

"Why?" Dean asked tightly, eying the demon warily, "Why take Sam?"

Crowley looked at Dean like he was stupid, "I couldn't have him running around trying to kill me, now could I? Even with you gone, little Sammy was still dangerous… I am a demon after all and although I have given you two a push in the right direction before… I doubt that your brother would find it in his heart to spare me."

"I don't believe you," Dean argued.

Crowley shrugged, "Believe what you want, Dean."

Dean watched, unable to do anything as the demon approached his brother. Sam seemed to wither as Crowley came closer until he was curled in on himself, hands over his head.

"No," Sam moaned fearfully, "No… please… don't…"

"Your brother's vocabulary has shrunk somewhat," Crowley chuckled as he watched his prisoner, "Which is fine by me, I always thought he talked too much anyway."

"Alright," Crowley addressed Dean as he grabbed Sam by the hair and pulled his head up, ignoring the large tears of fear welling up in the young man's eyes, "I also know how valuable your brother is."

Dean fought against the invisible barrier, wanting nothing more than to kill the bastard who had dared lay a hand on his brother, but he was trapped.

"Don't hurt him!" Dean demanded uselessly.

The eldest Winchester paled when he saw the demon's lips curl up in a smile.

Crowley released his hold on Sam and flicked a hand at the young man as he cowered away from him. Dean heard something crunch wetly and Sam howled in agony, blood spraying from his mouth.

"You piece of shit!" Dean swore at the demon and shoved against the barrier, desperate to get to his hurting little brother.

"Dean!" the demon raised his voice and the hunter stopped struggling.

The young hunter looked where Crowley was pointing and saw that although Sam was lying on the ground, panting harshly he seemed otherwise unharmed.

Tears streamed down Sam's face and he wiped a shaky hand across his mouth, smearing the blood that had leaked out from between his lips.

"What do you want?" Dean asked, keeping half his attention on his brother and the other half on the demon.

"I'm willing to offer you a deal," Crowley slicked back his hair, "You hand over the Prophet and the tablet and I give you your precious little Sammy back."

Dean took a deep breath, "How about you let Sam and I walk out of here and I'll consider not stabbing you in the face."

Crowley looked less than impressed, "I know Kevin told you where to find me, who else is there? All I want is my little Prophet back safe and sound."

Dean sneered at the demon, "I don't even know where the kid is so I guess your shit out of luck."

"Than I guess Sammy gets to stay here until you find Kevin," Crowley shrugged.

"I'll kill you before you touch him again," Dean warned the demon.

"You're not exactly in the position to be making threats," Crowley advised, "I could easily snap your brother's neck and go after the Prophet myself."

Both Dean and Crowley hesitated when the sounds of a struggle in the hall reached them.

"The cavalry's arrived," Dean grinned and Crowley frowned.

"This isn't over, Dean," the King snarled, "Not by a long shot."

Dean blinked in surprised when Crowley disappeared and he stumbled forward as the barrier vanished when the demon did.

"Sammy!" Dean cried and ran to his brother.

"Dean! Are you alright? When that demon zapped you awa-" Garth began as he stepped into the room- bloodstained and excited- before stopping mid-sentence, eyes bulging in shock.

Sam was clutching Dean's shirt for dear life, his face buried in the soft fabric.

"Can you help me get this off him?" Dean asked Garth, indicating the shackle.

The smaller hunter nodded numbly and stepped forward. Dean felt Sam stiffen with fear as Garth approached and comfortingly stroked his brother's hair, muttering soothingly to him.

"It's okay, Sammy," Dean murmured, "I've got ya."

Tears pricked the corners of Dean's eyes as Sam trembled in his arms and he wished he could have been there when his brother needed him the most, not stuck in Purgatory with a renegade angel and a vampire thirsty for a second chance at life.

Dean swallowed painfully. Sam had been in his own version of Purgatory this past year. Trapped and frightened, alone and in pain, Sam had suffered so much more than his brother had. At least Dean had friends where he had been. Sam had no one. Dean clenched his hands into fists, vowing that when he saw Crowley again he was going to kill the bastard for what he'd done to his brother.

"Dean, can we get out of here?" Garth's voice startled the eldest Winchester from his thoughts of revenge, "This place gives me the willies."

W

Dean sat on the edge of his brother's bed, one hand carding through Sam's hair as his brother slept.

Garth watched the brothers from his seat at the motel room's small table, a bottle of Sprite open in front of him. He had driven the Winchesters far from Crowley's warehouse- Dean had allowed the wiry hunter to drive the Impala so he could curl up in the backseat with Sam- before they both felt comfortable enough to stop for the night. He had helped Dean clean Sam up and tend to the worst of his injuries, forced to pause ever now and then when he became blinded by tears.

Dean didn't even have the energy to be exasperated with the emotional younger man, his heart instead actually going out to the fellow hunter who was surely not used to comforting a hurt and traumatized little brother. Despite how annoying Garth could sometimes be, Dean appreciated his help and likely wouldn't have allowed any other hunter to see Sam in his current state.

Dean frowned when Sam moaned in his sleep.

"Shhh," Dean whispered as he continuing running his fingers through his brother's recently washed locks, "It's okay Sammy. I'm here. You're safe."

Sam settled down and shifted closer to his brother side, even in his sleep, and Dean smiled.

He knew it was going to take a long while from Sam to recover from what Crowley had done to him but Dean was prepared to help his brother every step of the way. The year that they had been separated had been nothing short of torture for both of them but Dean knew that now that he had his brother with him again, everything would be alright. No matter what happened, as long as Sam had his back and he had Sam's, they'd be able to get through anything.


	2. Chapter Two

Sam straightened up, shocked at what had just happened. Dean and Cas were nowhere in sight and the room was splattered with black goo.

Kevin stared wide-eyed at the scene as well before tugging at the youngest Winchester's sleeve, "Sam, we should go."

Where's Dean? Sam thought frantically, helplessly. One moment he was there and the next he was just… gone. Was he dead?

"What the hell?" Sam whispered.

Kevin pulled urgently at Sam's sleeve, "More chompers any minute, Sam."

Both of the young men turned around quickly at the familiar voice coming from behind them and saw Crowley, dressed all in black with a smug smile on his face.

"Not to worry. I have a small army of demons outside. Cut off the head and the body will flounder, after all. Think if you'd had just one king since before the first sunrise, you'd be in a kerfuffle too," Crowley announced, taking a step closer to the two humans.

"Which is exactly what you wanted!" Sam snapped, trying to hide his fear from the demon.

Crowley shrugged, "So did you. Without a master plan, the Levis are just another monster. Hard to stomp, sure, but I hear you hunters love a good challenge."

Sam narrowed his eyes at the demon and stepped in front of Kevin, knowing that Crowley had really come for the teen.

"Where's Dean?" Sam nearly growled but the demon wasn't the least bit intimidated.

"That bone… has a lot of kick," Crowley told Sam with a gleeful glint in his eyes, "God weapons often do. They should put a warning on the box."

Sam took a deep breath, "Where are they, Crowley?"

The King of Hell shrugged, "Damned if I know."

Without taking his eyes off the demon, Sam spoke to Kevin, "C'mon."

"Ah ah ah," Crowley raised an eyebrow, "Where do you think you're going?"

The King of Hell snapped his fingers and a pair of demons appeared on either side of Kevin.

Sam frowned and reached out, grabbing the younger man's shirt in his fist.

Crowley just chuckled at the hunter's attempt at protection, "Sorry, Sam. Prophet's mine."

The King nodded to his cronies and the demons disappeared, taking Kevin with them. Sam moved to go around Crowley but the demon spoke.

"I didn't say you could leave."

Sam was trapped. Crowley was blocking the only exit and the hunter was sure he wouldn't be allowed to pass until the demon had had a chance to rub his nose in it some more.

"You thought I was just going to let you walk out of here? You're even dumber than you look, Moose!" Crowley crowed smugly and Sam closed his eyes for a moment, hands clenching into fists.

"I don't have time for your games," Sam glared at the demon, "Soon there'll be more than just Leviathans to deal with once someone calls the cops."

Crowley chuckled, "You don't need to worry about any of that because you'll be far away from here by the time the bizzies arrive."

Sam frowned. What was the demon talking about? Why didn't he just leave? He had what he came for, so why wasn't he blowing Sam a raspberry and doing his usual disappearing act.

The youngest Winchester took a step back, careful to avoid slipping in the goo that had once been Dick Roman, and the demon chuckled, clearly enjoying himself.

Crowley smiled knowingly, "You don't know how special you are, do you? How valuable you are. I've been waiting quite a long time for this moment and now that Big Brother and Wings have been blown to Kingdom Come, I have you all to myself."

Sam opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He retreated farther into the room, his shoes slipping in the black blood and his feet flew out from under him.

The young man fell, landing heavily on his back and he groaned in pain, dazed.

Crowley tsked as he stepped right up to the hunter.

This was too much for Sam. Cas and Dean were gone- dead- and now Crowley wanted him for some unknown reason. He had never been more helpless.

He stared up at the ceiling, breathing hard, until the demon's face filled his vision.

"Now, I have a schedule to keep," Crowley announced, "So if you don't mind…"

A wave of vertigo washed over Sam and he closed his eyes as bile climbed his throat. Rolling onto his side, the young man groaned when his stomach evacuated its contents onto the floor. The smell of Leviathan blood was making him sick.

Sam heard Crowley back away with a disgusted sound. The demon snapped his fingers and the hunter opened his eyes slightly to see two of Crowley's cronies standing over him.

"I would transport him myself," the King of Hell said, "But this suit is Gucci and I'm not sure Levi blood will come out."

The demons made no reply- probably used to doing the grunt work- but bent down and grabbed Sam's arms, heaving him into a standing position. The young man's legs trembled and Sam's head was swimming. He wondered if he was going to throw up again.

He glanced up when Crowley stepped up to him.

"I'm doing you a favour, really," the demon told Sam, smugly, "You have a tendency to self-destruct when the Squirrel's not around."

"Fuck you!" Sam snapped, struggling against Crowley's minions holding him back from smashing a fist into the demon's teeth.

The King of Hell just raised an eyebrow and snapped his fingers.

W

Sam staggered, his legs nearly buckling underneath him as his demon entourage disappeared from SucroCorp headquarters and reappeared in an abandoned warehouse thousands of miles away.

"You might feel some discomfort but that will wear off," Crowley's voice echoed in the cavernous factory floor, "Demon Airlines isn't as user-friendly as your angel buddy."

Sam's only response was to groan miserably. His stomach felt as though it had been twisted into knots and his legs felt like Jell-O.

Crowley gestured to his minions and the two demons dragged Sam between them across the room.

Sam fought to regain his footing but failed. The small group stopped at the far end of the room where an old elevator shaft waited.

Crowley pressed the button to summon the lift and waited somewhat impatiently, tapping his foot on the dusty floor.

Sam hung his head; his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to keep from being sick again. The elevator doors screeched as they opened slowly and the young man wondered how the damn thing was even still working.

Sam stumbled when he was pushed into the elevator and collapsed into the corner, his legs doing nothing to hold him up. Crowley and his two goons entered the small lift and the demon king pushed one of the buttons on the panel, ignoring the hunter as though he was not there. The elevator car lurched and Sam's heart leapt into his throat; he wouldn't be surprised if their weight caused the cables to snap and send them all plummeting down the shaft.

The elevator stuttered to a stop and the doors creaked open. The demon lackeys grabbed Sam's arms and tugged him up.

As they stepped out into a long hallway, Sam saw that the ceiling was lined with fluorescent bars and the walls were now off-white, the original shade smeared by years of dirt and decay. The floor was green tiles faded in the middle by many feet walking up and down the hall.

"Wh-where are you taking m-me?" Sam asked, his voice more shaky then he'd like.

Crowley, walking ahead of his prisoner, didn't answer.

"Tell me!" Sam's voice rang out in the quiet hallway but the demon still did not respond.

The young man began struggling again, the effects of the teleportation wearing off, and anger surged through his veins. Sam couldn't believe he'd let Crowley get the jump on him. It was unthinkable! Embarrassing! Dean wouldn't have let that happen.

Sam threw all his weight into the demon on his right side and all three of them went crashing into the wall. The demons must have been caught off guard because they scrambled for a moment to regain their hold on the prisoner. Sam extricated himself from the two incompetent cronies and found himself standing face-to-face with Crowley.

"Admirable attempt, Moose," the King of Hell smirked and flicked his hand at Sam. The young man was flung down the hall, "But you've seem to forgotten who you're dealing with!"

Knowing that Sam wasn't going anywhere, Crowley turned to his minions who were just picking themselves up, "And you two! Obviously I've given you a task beyond your capabilities."

The two demons looked at the floor, contrite and a little fearful, "Why don't you go check up on my Prophet; that is if you can manage it."

Crowley's goons nodded and vanished. The King of Hell sighed, muttering to himself about how hard it was to find good help these days and turned to the hunter.

Sam was staggering to his feet, one arm wrapped protectively around his middle.

Crowley walked forward slowly, smirking at the expression of poorly-concealed pain on the young man's face.

"Did you really think you could best me?" the demon asked arrogantly, "I'm the King of Hell!"

Sam didn't give Crowley the satisfaction of rising to his bait.

"Oh, so now you're going all strong and silent on me?" the demon asked, smirking, "Very well. I don't mind."

Sam gritted his teeth together, "What do you want from me?"

Crowley grinned, "There's the sixty-four dollar question! I wondered how long it would take you to ask."

Sam waited but the King of Hell didn't elaborate. Surely Sam didn't think Crowley was going to tell him what was going on? He had to know him better than that by now.

Sam glared at the demon and flinched away when Crowley made to grab his arm that wasn't wrapped around his midsection.

"Don't touch me!" the young man snapped and Crowley shrugged, "Than I suggest you move."

Sam walked forward with Crowley following right behind him to the end of the hall where a metal door stood part-way open.

"After you," the demon gestured. Sam pulled the door wider and peered inside. The room was nearly bare but for the rusty skeleton of a bed bolted to the concrete floor. The unpainted cinderblock walls were old and covered in stains and mold. There were no windows and only a single bare light bulb to illuminate the room.

"What is this?" Sam asked, backing away.

Crowley smirked and placed a strong, pudgy hand on the young man's back, "Your new home."

With a shove, the demon sent Sam stumbling into the room. Sam cried out in surprised and turned around in time to see Crowley grinning at him smugly as he closed the door.

"Nighty-night," the British demon drawled before slamming the door and locking it.

SPN

Dean startled awake, lifted his head and peered at his surroundings. He sat up as he stared at the dark, mysterious forest that seemed to be crowding in on him.

What had happened? Why was he here? The last thing he recalled was stabbing Dick Roman in the chest.

The sound of footsteps caused Dean to whip around but he relaxed at the familiar sight of Cas.

Standing cautiously, Dean moved to meet his friend, "Where are we?"

The dark woods around them seemed to shiver and strange sounds- hoots and screeches- met Dean's ears. Dean couldn't put his finger on it but there was something off about this place. He looked around once more and saw, with a shock that a full moon was hovering large and cold in the sky above the trees, bigger than Dean had ever seen before.

"You don't know where we are?" the angel answered Dean's question with another question.

The hunter sighed, "No, Cas. The last thing I remember, we were at the SucroCorp HQ, ganking Dick Roman."

Castiel stared at Dean intently, "And where would he go in death?"

The human hesitated, not liking where this train of conversation was going.

"Wait. Are you telling me…?"

"Every soul here is a monster," Cas paused as the trees nearby rustled ominously, "This is where they come to prey upon each other for all eternity."

"We're in Purgatory!" Dean exclaimed, beginning to panic, "How do we get out?!"

"I'm afraid we're much more likely to be ripped to shreds," Cas answered, sounding disinterested.

Dean turned as the sound of rustling branches grew louder and froze when he saw two creatures standing just at the edge of the woods, their bodies silhouetted against the full moon and their eyes glowing red. They were looking right at him, Dean was certain of it.

"Cas, I think we better-" he turned as he spoke but stopped. Cas was gone.

Wide-eyed, Dean glanced around the clearing, trying to catch sight of his friend, "Cas?"

There was no response. Dean was all alone.

W

Dean stumbled over a protruding root and swore under his breath. He wished the sun would appear but he was starting to get the idea that it never would. Although Purgatory seemed to have both night and day, the sun and blue sky was permanently on vacation. Daytime didn't even have the decency to be bright. It always shifted from night into this strange twilight time, not completely dark but not completely light either.

Dean couldn't count on his fingers how many times he had already tripped over a rock or a root, walked into a low-hanging branch he'd failed to see or jumped when a shadow moved suddenly.

He hated this. He hated that Cas had ditched him, left him at the mercy of those creepy gorilla-wolf things. With no weapons and no other way out, Dean had run. He hadn't known where he was going; he'd just torn through the trees as fast as he could, anything to avoid becoming luncheon meat. It wasn't his proudest moment. He was Dean Winchester! A hunter and a damned good one but he would have been a dead hunter if he had decided to see if he could fight off the monsters. Dean wasn't sure how he'd even managed to escape. He'd run for as long as he could and maybe the monsters had gotten tired and left to find easier prey.

Now that he wasn't fleeing for his life, Dean had some time to think as he picked his way across the precarious forest floor, eyes sharp for barely-hidden tripping hazards.

Was Sam okay? Had he gotten out of Leviathan Central alright? Did he know that Dean was in Purgatory?

If he knew his brother, Dean was sure Sam was well on his way to breaking him out of this hellhole. All he had to do was be patient for a little while and he'd see Sam in no time.

Dean froze when a twig snapped loudly behind him. He glanced over his shoulder suspiciously but saw nothing. He waited a moment before continuing on his way.

Where the fuck was Cas when he needed him?

Dean was practically a sitting duck out here! He may as well have been walking around with a neon sign over his head proclaiming 'I'M A HUMAN! COME EAT ME!'

The hair on the back of Dean's neck stood on end and he forced himself to keep calm. Something was definitely watching him. He was sure of it.

Dean continued on his way, acting as though he were oblivious to his pursuer. He surreptitiously glanced at the forest floor around him, searching for something, anything that could be used as a make-shift weapon.

There was a broken branch in his path; it looked as though it had snapped off a nearby tree during a storm. It was around the same size as a baseball bat and was in Dean's opinion was better than nothing. Bending down, Dean wrapped both hands around one end of the branch, knowing that he was now telling whatever was following him that he was onto it.

As expected, a form burst out of the undergrowth behind Dean and charged him. Twisting at the waist, the hunter stood and swung the branch like a Louisville Slugger. The branch hit his attacker's skull with a sickening crack! and the monster dropped like a ton of bricks.

Dean grinned widely down at the prone form at his feet. He wasn't going to go down so easily.

He peered curiously at the creature and grimaced. The monster was humanoid, naked except for a dirty loincloth wrapped around its hips, its skin was a pale grey that made Dean think of drowning victims. The creature was bald, with slightly pointed ears and what looked like small tusks poking out from beneath its upper lip.

Dean wasn't sure but the thing looked like the ogres in the pictures he'd seen in one of Bobby's books.

The hunter nudged the creature with the toe of his boot but it did not stir. It was either unconscious or dead; not that Dean was willing to get a closer look to make sure. Smirking, Dean rested the broken tree branch on his shoulder and continued on his way, satisfied that at least he wasn't completely defenceless against whatever monsters Purgatory decided to throw at him.

SPN

Sam slammed his fists into the metal door, knowing that it would be locked fast.

This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not with Cas and Dean gone. What was he going to do? How was he going to get out of this?

Sam let out a shout of frustration as he hit the door again.

Turning away, he stared at the interior of the small room he was being held in. The floor was concrete, grey and dull, covered in a layer of dust. The cinderblock walls were old and crumbling with mold and mildew. The room smelled strongly of decay. A single bulb hanging in the middle of the room gave off sickly yellow light. The only furniture in the room- the rusted bed frame- completed the room's creepy atmosphere.

I feel like I'll get tetanus just by staring at that thing for too long, Sam thought and closed his eyes, rubbing his hands over his face.

Taking a deep breath, Sam almost choked on the rancid smell of Leviathan blood still clinging to him.

Where are you Dean? He thought sadly; what happened to you?

Sam wiped the sleeve of his jacket across his eyes, grimacing at the sight of black goo crusted onto the green material.

Had the blast killed his brother and Cas? Sam didn't know. He thought that it most likely had, if it had killed Roman than they were certainly close enough for the unexpected explosion to be fatal.

Sam sank to the floor. This was it. The end. Dean was gone and he was never coming back. He was all alone.

Sam wasn't naïve enough to think anyone would look for him. Besides Bobby, he didn't have many friends in the hunting community and no one was likely to miss him if he didn't show up for a while.

Why'd you have to go and leave me again, Dean?

W

Sam had to escape. He didn't know what Crowley had planned for him but there was no way he was going to stay to find out.

Sam knew there was no way he was going out the door- it locked from the other side and there wasn't even a keyhole for him to try and pick- so he tried to find any of the cinderblocks in the walls were old enough to be crumbly.

Dean would have laughed at Sam if he knew he was trying to make a daring getaway by tunnelling through the wall. Sam wasn't even sure if it would work but he wasn't going to sit around and why Crowley took his sweet time reappearing.

Sam picked at one of the cinderblocks at the bottom of the wall, frowning when only the tiniest bit of concrete flaked off.

He tested all of the cinderblocks he could easily reach, meeting the same result every time. Although the walls were old, they were still as sturdy as the day they were built.

Sam glanced up at the ceiling and saw that it was made of the same fibreglass tiles that were often used in schools. Even standing on the tips of his toes, Sam wasn't tall enough to reach them. Looking around, Sam's gaze landed on the rusted bed frame and he wondered if it would hold his weight.

Walking over to the rickety-looking metal skeleton, Sam set his foot against one side of it. The bed frame creaked ominously but didn't break.

Placing both hands against the wall behind the bed frame to steady himself, Sam settled his other foot on it, holding his breath.

Smiling, Sam straightened up, balancing precariously. Reaching up, Sam groaned in frustration when his fingertips just barely brushed one of the fibreglass tiles. He wasn't tall enough!

Sam stepped down from the bed frame and ran his hands through his hair. He didn't know what to do; there was no way out.

He began pacing around the room anxiously, trying to figure out how he could get out of this mess.

SPN

Dean swore silently. He was cornered. Three against one was not a fair fight. And to top it off, Dean only had his tree-branch-baseball-bat to defend himself with.

Where the hell was Cas when Dean needed him?

"You think that twig's gonna hurt us?" one of the vampires sneered and Dean shrugged, "Hey, if I beat you to pulp do you think you'll still be able to come after me?"

The monsters chuckled, obviously not scared of Dean whatsoever.

Without warning, one of the vampires leaped at Dean and the hunter swung the tree branch as hard as he could.

Dean never hit the monster. In mid-leap, a dark blur slammed into it and drove it to the ground, blood from a gaping wound in its throat spilling out onto the forest floor.

The two remaining vampires stumbled back in shock and Dean lifted his make-shift weapon again, ready to fight off the new threat: the threat which happened to be a man perhaps a little older than Dean himself wearing an old white dress shirt, dirty black dress pants, boots and a long navy blue pea coat.

"Now it looks like a fair fight to me," the stranger said, his voice was low and slightly raspy, his accent telling Dean he came from one of the Southern states.

The hunter stepped up beside the man, deciding that for the meantime he could work with him, whoever he was.

The vampires ran at the duo and Dean swung the tree branch into the face of the monster gunning for him. The branch connected with a loud crunch and the vampire fell back, blood gushing from its ruined face. Dean swung again and again and again.

The young man only stopped when the stranger reached out and grabbed the tree branch as Dean raised it high to continue pummelling the already dead vampire.

Dean turned quickly to face his strange saviour and the man smiled, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners.

"I think it's dead," the man said and Dean looked down at the body at his feet. The vampire's head was nothing more than chunks of brain and bone in a pool of blood.

Dean lowered his weapon and ran the sleeve of his leather coat across his sweaty brow.

"What are you?" he asked. He decided that the man in the navy pea coat wasn't about to kill him anytime soon. If that had been his intention, he could have done it numerous times while Dean was fighting with the vampires.

"Name's Benny," the man held out his hand. Reluctantly Dean took it and shook the man's hand.

"I'm De-" he began but was interrupted, "I already know who you are. Word travels fast in these parts, especially when there's a human and an angel stumbling around here like babes in the woods."

"Angel? You mean Cas," Dean said, "Have you seen him?"

Benny nodded, "Few days ago now. He was down by the river, following it I think."

The human's brows furrowed. River? What river? He hadn't seen any river- or any source of water since arriving in Purgatory.

Benny glanced up, past Dean and into the trees behind him, "We should get moving. If we stay still any longer we're likely to have some more uninvited guests."

Not having much choice either way, Dean followed the man as he picked his way through the forest, past the third vampire, its head torn off its shoulders.

"How'd you do that?" Dean asked, indicating the body.

"I have no weapons, no blade to chop off it head with, so I just used what I had," the man answered cryptically.

"You mean you ripped his head off," Dean commented dryly and the man shrugged.

Dean narrowed his eyes, "That still doesn't explain what you are."

"Does it matter?" Benny asked with a smirk, "We're all monsters here. Take your pick. Which one do you think I am?"

Dean opened his mouth but then closed it again, "Doesn't matter."

Benny chuckled, "You always so trusting?"

Insulted, Dean snorted, "Hell no, but the way I see it, if you were out to eat me, you could have easily killed me back there and I'd have no idea what hit me."

"So you don't think I'm just saving you for later?" the man asked and Dean shook his head, "What would be the point?"

Benny smiled. The human wasn't a complete dolt after all.

"You said you saw my friend by some river," Dean said suddenly, "Can you take me to it?"

"I could," Benny muttered.

"But?" Dean asked, "What's wrong? Is it full of kelpies or sirens or something? Is the water poisoned?"

"You want to try and track down that angel of yours, am I right?" the man asked, halting and turning to face Dean.

"Yeah, we both got stuck here and I'm worried about him," Dean explained.

"It's you who should be worried," Benny said, "A human walking around in Purgatory, I'm surprised the monsters are lining up just waiting to take a bite out of you."

Dean shrugged, "I'm just lucky, I guess."

Benny chuckled, "What I can't figure out, is why you want to find your angel when he as the one who left you high and dry in the first place."

Dean stopped walking.

"How do you know about that? Have you been following me?"

The man raised an eyebrow, "I already said that word travels fast here."

"Sure," the hunter muttered, "Right."

"You think Cas would have followed the river?" Dean asked after a couple of minutes, silently picking his way along beside Benny.

"Mmhm," the man answered noncommittally.

Dean sighed but said nothing more. He hoped they found Cas soon; he really was worried about the angel.

"And we should really see about getting you a better weapon," Benny muttered.

SPN

The sound of the door unlocking startled Sam awake. He sat up and blinked confusedly, disorientated.

"Good morning," a mocking British voice sounded and Sam stared up at Crowley.

The events of the past day came back to Sam in a rush- Dick Roman's destruction, Dean and Cas' disappearance, his kidnapping- and the hunter glared daggers at the demon.

"Fuck off!" Sam growled, standing up so that he could use his height to try and intimidate the King of Hell, a futile gesture but Sam didn't back down.

Crowley tilted his head slightly so that he could look up at the young man, "You know how easy it would be for me to simply walk out of here, lock the door and forget about you?"

Sam was not sure how to respond to that threat.

"What do you want with me?" he asked, trying to keep the trepidation from his voice.

Crowley shrugged, clearly not in a sharing mood.

"Tell me, Moose," the demon said in a conversational tone, "When was the last time you ate?"

Sam didn't reply. He narrowed his eyes at Crowley, trying to read him but the monster's expression revealed nothing.

"Let's play a game," the demon said, "Let us see how long you can go without asking for food."

Sam's mouth dropped open, "No!"

The King of Hell raised an eyebrow, "No? Don't you like games?"

"You can't-" Sam began but the demon held up a hand, stopping Sam from continuing.

"If you win, the prize is really great," Crowley said smugly, "Trust me."

With that, the demon turned and headed for the door. Sam went after him. He reached out and grabbed the demon's shoulder.

Crowley flicked out his free hand towards Sam and the young man was flung backwards, hitting the wall on the opposite side of the room and crumpling in a heap.

The demon brushed off the shoulder of his suit where Sam's hand had been and closed the door, locking it as he left, without another word.

Dazed but not hurt, Sam sat up and stared at the heavy metal door.

"Dean," Sam sighed, his breath hitching, "Where are you?"


	3. Chapter Three

Dean heard the river before he saw it.

He picked up his pace even though he was tired and saw Benny smirk from the corner of his eye.

Ignoring the other man, Dean concentrated on getting to the source of the water and finding Castiel.

He wasn't completely sure how many days had passed since he'd arrived in Purgatory but Dean was certain that if Sam had found a way to help him escape, he'd already be cruising down some lonely stretch of highway in the Impala, blasting his favourite music from the speakers.

As he and Benny walked, there had been long silences which gave Dean the opportunity to think back to that day when he'd killed Dick Roman and the eldest Winchester was almost positive Sam had been far enough away when the shit hit the fan.

Which meant Sam was almost certainly alive.

Which meant Sam should have come for him by now.

Which troubled Dean, having seen no evidence that his brother was searching for him.

If Sam was alright, he should be using his big geek brain and his college education to get him the hell out of here. So why did Dean have the awful feeling no help was forthcoming?

Maybe Cas would have an answer once Dean found him.

W

"There it is," Benny announced with a flourish and Dean stared disappointedly at the small stream winding its way through the never-ending forest.

"Where's Cas?" Dean asked, narrowing his eyes in an attempt to catch sight of the familiar tan trench coat or shock of black hair.

"Not here," the man commented and rolled his eyes, "He's probably moved on by now."

Dean frowned, "But you did see him here, right?"

"Would I lie?" Benny asked and Dean didn't even bother answering.

"Cas!" he suddenly called and the man yanked him back, his hand gripping the collar of Dean's shirt.

"Hey!" the eldest Winchester exclaimed irritably, "Get off me!"

"We want to find your angel," Benny reminded him, "I didn't say anything about letting every beastie know our whereabouts."

Dean opened his mouth to protest but then closed it again. He couldn't argue with that logic.

"Which way did Cas go?"

"He probably followed the flow of the river."

"You didn't see which way he went?!"

Benny sighed, "I'm sorry, did you want me to stop him and ask for directions while I was at it?"

"Are you sure he would have gone downstream?" Dean asked suspiciously.

"No, but we don't want to go upstream," Benny answered and began walking alongside the riverbank.

With no other choice, Dean followed, grumbling under his breath.

SPN

Sam sat in the corner facing the door, knees drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. He was hungry but it wasn't that bad yet. It was impossible to tell time in the windowless room but Sam was sure only a few hours had passed since Crowley had begun his 'game'.

He ran his hands through his hair. The so-called king of Hell thought he had won, but Sam wasn't stupid. He wasn't about to fall into Crowley's trap.

With Dean gone and held captive as he was, Sam had no future, nothing to live for, even if he wasn't being held prisoner. Crowley didn't seem like he was going to change his mind and let Sam go anytime soon. Sam wasn't under any illusions either, he had few- if any- friends in the hunting community and he knew no one was coming for him. He knew it was terribly maudlin but Sam didn't care, nobody was there to see his weak moment. Of all the ways his life could have ended, Sam had to admit that this was pretty unimpressive. There was not going to be any heroics, no inspiring last words, nothing.

Sam closed his eyes, leaning his head against the wall and waited.

W

"Sam, honey," Mary Winchester's voice cooed, "You need to eat."

Sam closed his eyes so that he wouldn't have to look at his mother's face and sucked in a shaky breath. He lay on his side against the wall, too weak to sit up any longer. He was sure it wouldn't be long now. He just had to ignore his starving body's attempts at persuasion. It wouldn't even be the lack of food that killed him, dehydration worked much faster.

Crowley's expression had been unreadable every time Sam had refused to give into the bastard but the young man was sure the demon was displeased things weren't going his way.

Sam brushed his bangs away from his brow, his skin cool and clammy to the touch. He grimaced as his heartbeat suddenly increased for a full minute before finally slowing down again, leaving Sam panting to catch his breath, a feeling of lightheadedness washing over him.

"You don't have to do this, Sweetheart," Mary spoke up again and Sam groaned, "I can't bear seeing you like this."

"Shut up," the young man ground out through clenched teeth.

It grew quiet for a time and Sam drifted in and out of consciousness, not an altogether unpleasant experience.

A cramping in Sam's abdomen startled the young man and he curled up painfully, groaning in misery.

"You're a disappointment," John Winchester's gruff voice had Sam opening his eyes and glancing up at the apparition of his long-dead father wearily, "I trained you to be stronger than this, son. You're just going to lie down and let the demon win? You must be weaker than I thought."

Sam tried to reply, tried to defend himself from the verbal attack but his mouth was as dry as sandpaper. Instead, he closed his eyes and placed his hands over his ears to try and drown out the sound of his father's voice.

W

"Sammy, man," Dean's concerned hazel eyes peered into his brother's blank ones, "Don't do this. Don't go out like this. Show that son of a bitch we are tougher than this."

But no one's coming, Dean; Sam thought, his eyes stinging at the sight of his big brother.

"Hey, you've been alone before," Dean continued, "And that's never stopped you."

Sam didn't reply but closed his eyes. He felt awful. His heart was pounding in his chest, his skin was clammy and he was freezing cold. Waves of nausea rolled over him, his muscles cramping painfully.

Dean sighed, "I didn't want to tell you this, God knows you don't want to hear it… but, going out like this… well, you know you're not making the cut to go Upstairs."

Sam's eyes opened with a start as fear sliced through him.

No, he couldn't go back to Hell, there was no way. He couldn't do it.

Sam tried to sit up but was too weak and sprawled out on the cement floor again.

"D'n," he croaked, his brother's image having vanished after speaking, "D'n."

Sam swallowed painfully and turned his gaze to the heavy metal door.

With the terror of what awaited him if he died spurring him on, Sam took deep breaths, trying to stay conscious even as his body urged for sleep.

He didn't know how much time had passed before the door opened again and Crowley stepped inside, "Looks like you're about to win our little game, Moose."

Sam opened his eyes to slits and gave the tiniest shake of his head. He couldn't do it. If Crowley won this round, then so be it, but Sam could not go to Hell.

"What's that?" the demon stepped closer and crouched down before the young man.

Sam closed his eyes momentarily before opening them again. The room seemed to be spinning around him and his stomach was in knots.

"I… can't…" Sam whispered, his voice barely audible.

The King of Hell smirked and leaned in closer, one hand cupped around his ear as if to aid in his hearing.

"Speak up," he requested.

Sam almost didn't reply. It would be so much easier to close his eyes and sleep and never wake up.

But the thoughts of knives and meat hooks and fire would not leave the young man's mind.

"Please…" Sam managed to breathe, "Food… Water…"

Crowley stood and straightened his suit jacket, lips turned up in a malicious grin.

"You give up? Hm?"

Sam stared at him.

"Well, I must say you put on a good show, Moose," Crowley commented, "You had me wondering for a while if you were actually going to win."

"Too bad though, for you," the demon continued, "What is it they say in Chess? Oh yes, check and mate, I think."

Crowley turned around, the grin never leaving his face as he left the room and walked down the hallway, Samuel Winchester in the palm of his hand.

SPN

Dean stopped and watched tiredly as Benny continued on, oblivious to the fact that he was no longer following.

The man halted a few feet away and turned to face the hunter, his expression confused, "What's wrong now?"

"I feel like we're walking in circles," Dean told him and Benny rolled his eyes, "We can't walk in circles, we're following a river."

Dean ground his teeth together in irritation. He was frustrated and tired and hungry and dirty and he just wanted to get the hell out of here.

"I mean that it feels like we aren't getting anywhere," he replied as calmly as he could, "How do we even know Cas is following the river still anyway? Maybe he decided to go back into the woods."

Benny stepped closer to Dean, sizing him up in a way that the hunter found unsettling.

"There's nothing in those trees but death. Even for an angel. I don't see any reason why your friend would go that way."

Dean took an involuntary step back at the intensity of Benny's tone.

"We should keep moving," the man continued a moment later and turned so that his back faced the hunter.

Dean sighed and followed the man, lengthening his strides until he was walking beside Benny.


	4. Chapter Four

Sam glared at Crowley as he slowly ate the cheese sandwich the demon had brought him.

"Where's Kevin?" Sam asked the demon, concerned for the young man.

Crowley ignored him and began inspecting his nails.

"Kevin! Where is he?" Sam snapped and finally the King of Hell looked at him.

"My Prophet? I wouldn't worry about him, Moose; he's as snug as a bug. It'd be myself I was worried about if I were you."

Sam didn't give Crowley the satisfaction of answering. He simply continued eating his sandwich, hoping that his stomach wouldn't reject it after not having anything in it for so long.

The hunter took a sip of water from the bottle Crowley had also brought along, his stomach seeming to settle.

Sam met Crowley's gaze, trying to read his expression, trying to find out what the demon had in mind for him next.

It seemed, however, that the King of Hell was finished with him for now. The demon turned and walked towards the door.

"Don't forget to eat the crusts," Crowley mocked, "You need to get your strength back."

SPN

"I've gotta stop," Dean said and sank onto the sandy ground at the side of the river.

Benny rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation.

"Fine, but only for a little while," he told Dean, "It isn't safe to stop for long."

Dean nodded and lay back on the ground, sighing with relief. Closing his eyes, Dean's thoughts turned to his brother. Now he was certain something had happened to Sam; if he could have, Dean knew his sibling would have been doing everything to get him out of Purgatory but without hearing a peep from his brother for what seemed like days, the older Winchester was sure Sammy was in trouble.

"I'm gonna get out of here, Sammy," he whispered out loud, his words drowned out by the sound of the river, "And when I do I'm coming for you. Just hold on, brother."

"We should go," Benny's voice said from right above Dean and the hunter opened his eyes, "It's been, what, two minutes? C'mon, let me rest, man."

The other man's expression turned angry, "We don't have time! Don't you understand that? We have to keep going!"

Deciding that this was one fight he could live without, Dean pulled himself into a sitting position and then stood, wiping sand off the back of his jeans.

"Lead on," he grumbled and followed Benny irritably.

SPN

Sam was growing suspicious.

Crowley was telling him nothing, wasn't even taunting him with future ideas for his little game.

Instead, the demon or one of his cronies brought Sam food and water, keeping him in the dark about what was happening.

Sam wasn't stupid though; he had a feeling Crowley was getting ready for something. Sam just hoped he would be ready for whatever it was.

W

The young man looked up when the door creaked open and Crowley stepped inside, smiling, followed by the Alpha Vampire and a half-dozen of his 'children'.

"No," Sam gasped and stood, backing away, "No, get away from me!"

Crowley and the Alpha Vampire just smiled.

"I said you were valuable, Moose," the demon reminded him, "I just failed to tell you one of the reasons why."

"You can't do this!" Sam exclaimed, heart hammering in his chest.

One of the Alpha Vamp's lackeys was holding a small blue and white cooler in her hands. She sat it down and she and the other vampires pressed in towards Sam.

Although he knew he had no chance whatsoever of fighting off the vampires, Sam refused to just roll over and let them hurt him.

The hunter lashed out at his attackers, causing them to take a few steps back before converging in on him, grabbing him and shoving him down to the floor.

"Get off me! Let me go! You can't do this!" Sam shouted as he struggled against the vampires pinning him to the cement floor.

"Crowley!" Sam called, even though he knew the demon wasn't going to help him.

The hunter's eyes widened and he began struggling furiously as the Alpha Vampire approached, a small smile on his lips.

The monster crouched down beside Sam and laid one long-fingered hand against the young man's brow, "Calm."

Sam's flailing quickly stopped, a strange sense of peace washing over him, obscuring the fear and anger he was feeling.

"Let… me…go…" he said, his voice a whisper.

The female vampire who had brought the cooler grabbed the left sleeve of Sam's coat, tearing it and the shirtsleeve beneath to expose the hunter's forearm.

Sam watched helplessly as the woman turned and opened the cooler, taking out a needle attached by a clear tube to a plastic collection bag used in blood donation.

The hunter's eyes widened and he began protesting again weakly.

"No…" Sam said, "You… can't. You can't. Let me go."

The vampires however, ignored him, the female lowering the needle towards Sam's arm while the Alpha watched hungrily.

Sam gritted his teeth in pain as the needle was jammed into the inside of his elbow and blood began to flow up through the clear tube and into the collection bag.

Once the bag was full, the female vampire engaged the lock that would prevent the blood from leaking out and detached it from the tube. She handed the full bag to a male vampire and he set it in the cooler, taking an empty bag out.

Sam knew from spending more time in hospitals than he'd like that the bags each held less then half a litre of blood. Still, with that knowledge at the forefront of his mind, seeing that second bag appear did nothing to ease his fear.

The hunter watched as the second bag quickly filled with dark red blood- his blood- and prayed that there would be no more.

The Alpha vampire reached out and placed the first two fingers of his right hand against Sam's throat, checking a pulse. Sam groaned and tried to flinch away, only to clench his eyes shut as black spots danced in his vision and he began to feel lightheaded.

"One more should be alright," the Alpha announced in a bored tone.

Sam's eyes slipped open and he once again as his blood was swept up the tube and into a plastic donation bag, most likely for the Alpha vampire to savour later like some fine wine. The thought made the young man's stomach curdle and he retched.

"That's enough!" Sam heard Crowley bark and he gasped when the needle was ripped from his arm.

"I know what I am doing, Crowley," the Alpha vampire told the demon, "I wouldn't dream of killing the boy. He is too precious a commodity."

The King of Hell grunted an answer, voicing his displeasure with his fellow monster.

"You have what you wanted," Crowley growled, "Now get out before I change my mind."

Sam opened his eyes halfway and rolled onto his side. He could see the vampire and demon standing toe-to-toe, both unwilling to back away first.

Then, the Alpha vampire smiled and held a hand out, "Pleasure doing business with you."

Crowley didn't hesitate but shook the vampire's hand, both creatures looking as though he were trying to break the other's fingers.

The Alpha's vampires followed him out, Crowley close behind them and he closed the door, locking it after himself.

Sam groaned and gripped his arm, his elbow throbbing with his pulse. Black spots continued to dance before his eyes so he closed them, falling unconscious.

SPN

Dean resisted the urge to start shouting out Cas' name like a madman and charge through the river.

He just wanted to find his friend. That was all. Was that too much to ask?

"Are you sure we're going in the right direction?" he asked Benny suspiciously.

The man looked over his shoulder at him, "Yes. Why would I lead us in the wrong direction?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe you're luring me back to your lair and are going to eat me," Dean grumbled.

Benny rolled his eyes, "We've been through this. Of all the things in these trees that want a taste of you, I'm not one of them."

"Somehow I don't find that comforting," Dean muttered quietly.

Absentmindedly the hunter checked his watch, even though he knew it was broken but still wished it worked, at least he might be able to have some idea of how long he'd been trapped in this God-forsaken forest.

C'mon Cas, Dean thought, where the hell are you?

Sighing, Dean bent down and scooped some water up in his cupped hands. Splashing the cool liquid on his face refreshed him somewhat and he was just about to straighten up when Benny came towards him, a finger to his lips to signal the need for quiet.

"We're being watched," he told Dean.

SPN

Sam's eyes slipped open when he heard the door open and footsteps precede Crowley into the room.

"You still with us, Moose?" the demon asked, peering curiously down at him.

The young man rolled his eyes up so that he could look back at the demon. Crowley, for being the King of Hell, looked almost concerned at the sight of Sam.

"What do you want?" Sam ground out, his mouth as dry as sandpaper.

"I'm just making sure you're still alive," Crowley informed him, "I'd be disappointed if you'd died."

Sam grunted noncommittally.

The demon bent down, depositing a bottle of water and a plastic-wrapped sandwich on the floor beside Sam.

"I'm not eating that," Sam told the demon, his voice stronger than he felt.

Crowley didn't look worried in the slightest, instead, he actually smiled, "If you go on a hunger strike and starve, do you think those Pearly Gates are going to open up for you?"

Sam glared at the demon for using his fear of Hell to manipulate him so.

"It's really a win-win situation for both of us to keep you alive, Moose," the demon continued, "I get to keep a valuable resource and you get to stay away from the Hellfire Club."

Before Sam could answer, Crowley retreated, locking the door behind him.

Slowly, Sam sat up, and grabbed the bottle of water the demon had brought.

The inside of Sam's left elbow was still sore to the touch, the skin darkened by a large bruise but the wound had stopped bleeding, leaving a jagged cut.

Sam shuddered, thinking about the vampires who had taken his blood. The look in the Alpha's eyes as he'd watched Sam's blood being sucked up into the bag, it was like Dean sizing up a big, juicy cheeseburger before taking the first bite.

The young man lowered the bottle of water and sighed, missing his brother. He had no idea where Dean and Cas were or even if they were still alive- though that seemed unlikely even though Sam was unusually not inclined to believe Crowley- and felt guilty for it. He should have been the one to kill Dick Roman. At least, if he had, Dean and Cas would still be okay- alive- and could continue hunting the likes of Crowley and the Alpha Vampire.

Knowing there was nothing he could do about it from inside his locked room in an abandoned warehouse, Sam pushed his thoughts aside for now and tipped his head back as he drank.

SPN

Dean stood up, trying to look as though he wasn't aware he was being observed.

"What is it?" Dean asked Benny, his mouth barely moving, but the man didn't answer.

The hunter followed his companion's gaze and peered into the tree line just on the edge of the river. Waiting.

Dean heard the sound of footsteps and caught a flash of beige between the trees and his heart picked up speed, beating excitedly.

Castiel stepped out from the trees, his black hair tangled, his face and coat dirty, and looked surprised to see the hunter there.

"Dean," the angel said, shocked.

"Cas!" Dean exclaimed and hurried forward, stepping through the river and soaking his shoes and jeans up to his knees before grabbing his friend in a tight hug.

"Where the hell have you been? Why did you leave me?" Dean asked and he held Cas out at arm's length.

The angel did not look at all guilty or ashamed of his actions, instead he looked upset that Dean was there; "I left to protect you."

Dean frowned, confused, "Protect me? You left me alone with a bunch of gorilla wolf things, Cas! I could have been killed!"

The angel's blue eyes flash angrily, "I was trying to protect you from Leviathan! They know I am here and they are displeased that I assisted in Dick Roman's assassination. I left so that they would not harm you, Dean."

The hunter stared at his friend, unsure of what to say.

"As touching as this is," Benny spoke up, "I suggest we hurry it up."

"Vampire," Castiel said, stepping in front of Dean.

"Hold on, Cas," Dean said, "He's a friend."

"A friend?" the angel asked and Dean nodded, "He saved me… more than once."

Castiel peered at Benny, clearly not trusting him.

Almost as though he knew what the angel was thinking, Benny spoke up, "Would you trust me if I said I know a way out of here?"

SPN

Sam gasped in pain as he slammed bodily into the wall, Crowley holding one hand out towards him.

"There's an interesting fact about demons," the King of Hell said lazily, "You know that we can cause pain, wound humans but did you know that we can also heal? Of course a lot of us let this talent go to waste. I however feel it should be put to good use."

Sam cried out as a large gash tore his side open, ripping through his jacket and shirt, blood gushing freely from the wound.

"I am sure you are familiar with this game, Moose," Crowley mocked, "I'll stop when you say 'uncle'."

"No… Please…" Sam begged but the demon only smiled up at him, clenching his hand into a fist and making the young man scream in agony.


	5. Chapter Five

"What the hell is that for?" Sam asked Crowley, unable to keep the fear from his voice as the demon stepped into the room followed by one of his cronies carrying a length of chain. Sam didn't doubt that it would become a new object of torture for him but he had to know exactly what Crowley meant to do with it.

Sam was exhausted, mentally and physically. He struggled to his feet, eyeing the demon king and his lackey warily.

"This?" Crowley asked, "Oh, this is for you, Moose."

Sam took a step backwards, knowing he wouldn't be able to fight the demon king.

"Wh-why?" the young man asked, trying and failing to keep his voice from shaking.

"You've had free reign of this room for a while," the demon, "And I think it's time you were grounded."

Sam frowned, confused. He closed his eyes for a long moment before he opened them again. Crowley and his goon were still there.

The young man cried out when the demon king reached out a hand and he was flung into the wall beside the defunct bedframe. Sam collapsed to the concrete floor hard, struggling to pick himself back up. As he flailed, Crowley's henchman approached and shoved him back against the wall.

Sam fought, trying to shove the demon's hand away from where it was fisted tightly in his shirt.

"No! Get away from me!" the hunter cried futilely.

The demon did not pay Sam any heed, instead, he dropped the chains onto the floor and the hunter saw that there were shackles on both ends.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked through gritted teeth.

The demon didn't answer; he took hold of one end of the chain with his free hand and locked it around one of the bed's rusted legs. Next, he grabbed Sam's ankle and locked the second shackle around the hunter's leg.

Sam picked up the heavy chain and tugged at it but it was locked tight, around both his leg and the bed's.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, staring up at the demon.

Crowley gave a smug smile, "Because I can, Sammy."

The young man ground his teeth together as the demon dared to call him by the nickname only Dean could use.

"I see I've overstayed my welcome," the King of Hell smirked and turned, his lackey following him obediently.

Sam glared at Crowley as he headed towards the door.

"Hey! No!" the young man suddenly cried out as the demon raised his hand towards the light switch beside the doorway.

"Ciao," Crowley called, "For now."

"Don't!" Sam shouted as the room was plunged into darkness.

SPN

"A way out?" Dean asked, shocked, "Why the hell didn't you say anything before?"

Benny nodded, a slightly smug look on his face.

"It never came up before," the vampire said and Dean glared at him.

"How do we get out of here then?" the hunter asked, suspiciously.

"We have to keep going down the river," Benny told them, "And we'll find a tear, a portal between this Godforsaken place and Earth."

Castiel stared at Benny, clearly not trusting or believing him, "How exactly are we to navigate this portal, vampire?"

Dean's new friend turned to the angel, "I don't navigate it at all, he will."

Benny pointed to the hunter and both angel and vampire turned to Dean.

"I cannot leave Purgatory on my own," the vampire explained, "If I could, I would have gotten the hell out of here a long time ago. No, souls here need a little help crossing over, if you will."

"Okay," Dean said, "How?"

Benny shook his head; "It's better if we don't say anything else about this. If anyone else finds out where we're headed, you're going to be Purgatory's Most Wanted."

Dean smirked, "I thought I already was."

The vampire just rolled his eyes and began walking along the riverbank.

"Dean," Castiel said and gripped the hunter's arm, "I do not trust that vampire."

The human shrugged, "Well, if you hadn't vanished, I wouldn't have met him."

Before Cas could reply, Dean started off, following close behind Benny.

The angel watched his friend and the monster for a long moment before he followed, frowning.

SPN

Sam lifted his head, peering nervously around the darkened room. He thought he'd heard a strange scratching sound coming from the opposite side of the room.

But it was gone now.

Perhaps he hadn't heard anything at all and it was just his imagination.

Sam closed his eyes and laid his head back down on his jacket.

SPN

"How much longer to this portal thing?" Dean asked tiredly. It seemed as though they had been following the river for hours with no sign of reaching their destination.

Benny glanced over his shoulder, "I don't know."

Dean looked up sharply, "You what?"

The vampire stopped, "I don't know how far it is. The portal moves around and the last rumor said that it was by the river."

"Hold on," Dean said, "You said this thing was by the river and now you're telling me you're following a rumor?"

"Yes, Dean," Benny replied, his tone short, "I am following a rumor but it is the best chance we have of getting out of here. I don't see you thinking up any other ideas."

Dean ground his teeth together, wanting to make a snide comment but decided against it.

"I just hope that you're right and we find this thing," he muttered.

The vampire turned around and continued walking along the riverbank. Dean glanced to his side, meeting Cas' eyes.

SPN

Sam grabbed the length of chain trailing from his leg and tugged at it helplessly, knowing that it was not going to give. He stared up at Crowley, the demon king smirking at his futile attempts at escape. The bedframe, although rusted, was strong and the shackle was locked uncomfortably tight around his ankle.

"Please," Sam implored, unable to help himself because he knew that Crowley was going to hurt him.

The demon just laughed, "I never thought I'd live to see the day when I could make Sam Winchester beg."

The young man closed his eyes tightly as they welled with tears.

W

Sam huddled against the wall, shaking with pain.

Crowley stood over him, looking smug.

"Please," Sam whimpered, "No more."

He hated himself for begging, for being so weak, especially in front of such an enemy as Crowley, who up until a year or so ago had been a nuisance more than an actual foe but he couldn't stop himself, not when he was wracked with pain, weak from hunger and lack of sleep and so very alone.

"Oh Moose," the King of Hell chided, "I'm only getting started."


	6. Chapter Six

Scriiitch-Scriiitch-Scriiitch

Sam's eyes opened suddenly, staring into the dark room, his heart skipping a beat.

That scratching sound again and it was coming closer. What was it?

Sam pulled himself up onto his elbows and squinted. The hunter jumped when something small and furry climbed onto his leg- a rat!

Sam reached blindly towards the rodent and his fingers closed around its warm, furry body. The rat screeched and bit Sam's hand as he clutched it tightly.

Ignoring the burning sensation in his hand, the young man pulled back his fist and threw the rat as hard as he could, hearing its small body hit the far wall and its squeal of pain.

Breathing heavily, Sam drew his legs in close to his body, curling up and listened intently for the telltale signs of another approaching rat. He wiped at his eyes as they welled up with tears.

"Dean," he whimpered, "Where are you? Please, please come back."

SPN

"This is fucking ridiculous," Dean growled, "Are you even sure this portal thing is still here?"

"It was last seen near the river," Benny replied tersely, "And I have no reason to doubt that."

"Maybe it's already moved or some shit," Dean suggested, "Because it feels like we're walking in circles."

The vampire stopped and glared at him, "I am trying to escape. I can't say the same for you."

Dean shook his head, "Don't you think I want to get out of this hellhole too, Benny, huh? Why would I be following you if I wasn't?"

The vampire stepped close to the hunter; causing Cas to tense up, ready to defend his friend.

"Then maybe you could act as though you trust me," Benny hissed, "And not like I am the enemy."

Dean glared at the monster, his hazel eyes smoldering before he looked away, raking a hand through his short-cropped hair.

"You're right," he muttered, "You're right. I'm sorry. I just… fuck! I want to get out of here. I miss my brother, you know… I hope he's okay, I hate not knowing if he's safe or not."

The vampire nodded in understanding.

"Let's keep going," Benny said and began walking again, Dean and Cas following behind him.

"Your brother is a hunter, Dean," the angel murmured to his friend, "He has been on his own before."

The older Winchester shrugged, "Yeah… but he hasn't really thrived when he was alone."

Castiel's brow furrowed but he did not respond. He just hoped that Samuel would be alright when they finally escaped.

SPN

Sam couldn't breathe.

He choked and coughed, sucking in not air, but blood.

The liquid slithered wetly down his throat, making his lungs ache.

Black spots danced in Sam's vision and he began to feel light headed.

Lifting his eyes, Sam's head felt like it weighed a ton and his wavering sight fell on Crowley, the demon blurry and indistinct.

Sam coughed and spat a clot of blood out where it landed with a wet plop on the cement floor in front of him.

Please, Sam begged silently, make it stop.

The young man couldn't hold himself up any more and he collapsed, groaning as he hit the floor hard.

Sam gave a shuddering breath, certain that it was going to be his last, when Crowley waved a hand lazily and suddenly the hunter was drawing in air again, instead of his own blood.

Shaking weakly, the young man greedily sucked in great breaths of air, the black spots fading from in front of his eyes and his vision clearing.

Sam felt every muscle in his body grow tense as the demon king approached. His chest heaving as he struggled to calm down, Sam managed to stammer two words to the King of Hell before going quiet again and concentrated on giving his body much-needed oxygen, "Please… don't…"

W

Sam curled in a tight ball, shivering. He scrunched his eyes closed tight, seeing nothing but darkness. Not that it mattered; Crowley had turned the light out in the room again so there was nothing to see anyway.

"Dean…" he whimpered, struggling to keep from crying, "Dean…"

Sam knew that his brother couldn't hear him; Dean was dead, gone, blown to smithereens when he'd killed Dick Roman. But he couldn't help it. Ever since he'd been a little kid, Dean had been the one to comfort him, tell him everything was going to be okay and that tomorrow would be better.

Sam wished his brother were with him. He wished Dean would burst through that door and rescue him.

But that was never going to happen because Dean was gone and Crowley wasn't about to let him go.

"Dean…" Sam whispered dejectedly, wrapping his arms around his middle, shaking.

SPN

"Sam!"

Dean jerked awake, staring wide-eyed at the angel and vampire who were looking at him.

They had stopped- Dean had insisted- for a bit of a rest since it seemed to the hunter that they were making no progress towards this mysterious portal anyway, and the human had drifted into a restless doze.

"Are you alright there, friend?" Benny asked, one corner of his mouth turned up in a strange sort of smile.

Dean ran a hand over his face and turned to Cas.

"You were in the throes of a nightmare," the angel said quietly.

"Yeah, Cas, thanks," Dean grumbled, "I know that."

"I did not seem appropriate to wake you suddenly," his friend told him and Dean sighed heavily.

Standing, the hunter stretched, "How far to this portal thing?"

Benny looked up at him, "I think we are getting close."

Dean turned to look at Cas and the angel stood.

As the trio began moving again, the celestial being moved close to Dean, gazing at him in a conspiratorial manner.

"You are still concerned for Sam," Castiel said and Dean nodded.

"I just… like I said before, I worry about him," the human said, "If he's not causing trouble he's in trouble, you know?"

The angel nodded, clearly not sure what to say.

"Forget it," Dean muttered, "I'm sure he'll be alright. I just want to find this fucking portal and get the hell out of here."

SPN

CRACK!

Sam cried out in agony as the bones in his right leg broke, snapping like toothpicks under Crowley's demonic powers.

The young man reached out with one shaking hand; he could see a bit of white bone poking through the denim of his jeans, blood beginning to seep into the blue fabric.

"Stop… Please…" Sam gasped, panting for breath.

Crowley just smirked and flicked one hand out, a crunching sound accompanying the breaking of Sam's femur, nearly causing the young man to pass out.

Sam's vision began to tunnel and he retched, bile dribbling down his chin.

"P-Please…" he gasped, his throat raw.

The demon king's only response was to wave a hand, crushing Sam's ribs, causing the young man to writhe in misery.

W

Sam raised a hand in response to the bright overhead light suddenly being turned on and squinted across the room to the door.

Crowley stepped through into the room, followed by the Alpha vampire and a cadre of his minions.

"No," Sam gasped and drew back, "Not again."

The monsters ignored the hunter and continued forward, closing in on him.

SPN

Dean ducked and swung his club at the monster as it made a clumsy grab for him. He hit the creature in the abdomen with a sickening crack and the beast staggered back.

Straightening, Dean saw heard it growl angrily and saw its eyes glow blood red.

Shit, he thought just as the monster rushed for him, claws outstretched to tear his flesh.

Suddenly, the beast seemed lit from within, white-blue light glowing from its eye sockets and mouth, dropping to the ground like a stone.

Dean gave a grateful smile to Cas, standing right behind where the monster had been.

Looking around, the hunter took in the scene of carnage, the bodies of the monsters that had attacked them strewn across the ground.

"Wait a minute," Dean said suddenly, "Where's Benny?"

SPN

Sam opened his eyes tiredly as the light was turned off and he was plunged into darkness once again.

Curling up into the fetal position, Sam wrapped his arms around his shins, biting his lip bloody to try and keep from crying.

It didn't work.

Hot tears streamed down his cheeks as he stared into the black room.

He shivered fiercely, clad only in his jeans. Crowley and his goons had taken away the rest of his clothes just because they could; doing anything they could to make him as pathetic as possible.

Scriiitch-Scriiitch-Scriiitch

At the sound of tiny rat claws scrabbling, Sam began to cry even harder, desolation and hopelessness crashing over the young man in wave after wave.

SPN

"BENNY!" Dean shouted, not caring that he was making noise and possibly attracting unwanted attention.

"Benny! Where are you?!"

"Perhaps I should go search for him," Castiel suggested but Dean shook his head, "No way, you're staying with me."

The angel looked almost sharply at the hunter, about to say that it would be much easier and faster if he were to seek out the vampire but then Dean spoke:

"I'm not losing you again."

The angel frowned, "Perhaps you are right. There is safety in numbers anyway."

Dean trudged through the undergrowth, trying to find any sign of the vampire.

"He couldn't have gone far," he muttered, speaking more to himself then to the angel, "We were all together before those things attacked us."

The angel nodded, peering through the trees along with Dean to find the vampire, the only one who knew where the portal back to Earth was.

"We shouldn't have stopped," Dean growled, berating himself, "He was always saying we had to keep moving."

The angel's blue eyes pinched, "We will find him, Dean and we will find the portal. You will return to Earth and find Sam."

The hunter nodded absentmindedly, before calling out to Benny again, "BENNY! Benny, where are you, man?!"

SPN

Sam gobbled the sandwich one of Crowley's goons had brought without even tasting it, barely caring that he was even getting a mouthful of the wax paper the food had been wrapped in along with the bread and meat.

He was so hungry, his stomach felt like a small, cold stone in his belly.

Sometimes, just to be assholes, the demons would leave the food and water just out of Sam's reach, torturously close and oh so far at the same time. This time though, Sam had been lucky and Crowley's cronies had decided not to mess about.

The meager fare did little to slake the painful gnaw of famine in the young man and he unabashedly emptied the sandwich crumbs into the palm of one grimy hand from the remains of the wax paper and tipped them into his waiting mouth.

Whimpering sadly, the young man took a sip of lukewarm water from the bottle that had been left with the sandwich before leaning his back against the cold wall beside the bedframe and closing his eyes, falling into a restless slumber.


	7. Chapter Seven

Crowley pulled the heavy, metal door closed, muffling the cries of the room's single occupant.

With the fingers of one hand still curled around the doorknob, the demon reached into the breast pocket of his suit and pulled out the trinket he had placed inside.

It was nothing remarkable or special, it kind of looked like one of those cheap toys that came from a clear plastic ball inside those dispensers every mall and department store seemed to have at the check-out.

The trinket, a necklace, was nothing more than a strange, small, bronzed face hanging from a thin, black rope. The pendent looked like a miniature tribal mask of some sort but he was certain its only power came from the fact that it was a keepsake.

One of the demon king's minions had found it deep inside the pocket of Sam Winchester's jacket. At first Crowley had dismissed it, had almost ordered the demon to toss it with the rest of the hunter's effects but then paused.

He had seen that necklace before.

The first time he had met the Winchesters he had seen Dean wearing it, he was certain of it.

Why he wasn't wearing it now was a mystery, and not one that intrigued Crowley.

What did interest the king of Hell, however, was the fact that it seemed to be significant enough to Sam Winchester that he would keep it.

Crowley lifted the necklace up, peering at it for a long moment as an idea began to form in his mind and he smiled.

SPN

Dean was starting to panic a little. He and Cas had been searching for Benny for about twenty minutes and there was still no sign of the vampire.

"Shit!" Dean growled and raked his hand through his short-cropped hair, "Shit, shit, shit!"

The angel looked at him for a moment before suggesting they move closer to the river.

"We should remain near the water's edge," he explained, "For if we do not find the vampire we at least may be able to locate the portal."

Dean looked back at his friend, "But we don't even know what the portal looks like, Cas! We could walk right past it without Benny with us!"

The celestial being opened his mouth to speak when both he and Dean heard a groan of pain come from the direction of the riverbank.

"BENNY!" Dean shouted, crashing through the trees to get to the water's edge.

The vampire was there, at the river, his head in the water, the rest of his body on the sandy bank. Dean rushed forward when he caught sight of red tendrils flowing out from his friend.

"Benny!" the hunter exclaimed and saw three large gashes across the vampire's chest, looking like claw marks, and a cut across one temple that was weeping blood into the water of the river.

Dropping to his knees, Dean grabbed the man's shoulder and shook him, "Benny, Benny, c'mon man, get up."

Castiel stood back, watching his friend curiously and keeping a wary eye out for enemies that may attack.

Benny groaned again and pushed Dean's hand away clumsily.

"Get off me," he growled, "I'm fine. Just need to catch my breath."

Dean stood back on his haunches, watching Benny concernedly. The vampire sat up, one hand going to his bloody temple and the other to his torn shirt and the gashes in his chest.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked, feeling completely useless.

The vampire nodded, "They'll heal."

Standing slowly, Benny swiped his paperboy hat from his head, twisting it violently to squeeze the water from it before placing it back on his head.

"Shall we continue on then?" he asked and Dean blinked, shocked before he nodded and followed the vampire.

"We thought you were dead, man," Dean told him and Benny smirked, "It'd take more than a few flea-bitten ogres to kill me."

Dean nodded, relieved that the vampire was still alive and well enough to continue the journey towards the portal.

SPN

Sam heard the door creak open and he curled in on himself, certain that it was Crowley come to torture him again.

The light came on and the young man cried out in surprise, the bright glare momentarily blinding him before he dared look across the room to see

Dean.

It was Dean.

Not Crowley.

Sam's mouth opened in shock, eyes wide in amazement.

"D-Dean!" Sam stammered and sat up.

His older brother smiled, "Sammy."

"Dean!" Sam called happily, tears welling up in his eyes.

Dean was here! He was alive! He was going to rescue him!

"I'm here, baby brother," the older Winchester assured him in a soothing tone and Sam broke down.

Dean stepped forward quickly and wrapped his strong arms around Sam, holding him up as he wept.

"Dean," Sam sobbed, "Dean… Dean…"

The young man gripped his brother's shirt tightly in his fists, pressing his tear-streaked face against Dean's shoulder.

"It's okay," Dean murmured, carding one hand through Sam's dirty hair, "I've got ya."

Sam didn't know how Dean could still be alive and he didn't care, he didn't know how Dean had found him or where Crowley was… all that mattered right now was that his brother was here and he was going to take him away from this place. All questions could wait.

Sam lifted one grubby hand and wiped his nose, taking a deep breath of Dean's familiar, comforting scent of gun oil, leather, cologne

Nothing. The scent he'd always associated with his brother wasn't there. The clothes he wore instead had that brand new smell, the scent fabric had before it was even washed after first being bought.

Sam's brows furrowed in confusion.

"Dean?" he whispered questioningly.

There had to be an explanation. Of course there was. But Sam couldn't help that sliver of dread creep down his spine all the same.

Sam pushed himself away from Dean, disengaging from their embrace to hold him at arm's length, peering concernedly into his brother's face.

"Dean?" Sam asked again.

His brother was still smiling, still grinning like this was the happiest moment of his life but something wasn't right. Shouldn't Dean be getting him out of here?

Footsteps from the direction of the doorway caught Sam's attention and his head snapped to the side and he caught sight of Crowley, looking like the cat that had eaten the canary.

The demon king raised his hands and clapped, "Bravo. You almost had me going for a moment there."

Dean's grin widened as he turned to look at Crowley as well.

Sam's arms fell to his sides and he shuffled backwards, away from Dean.

No. Not Dean. It wasn't Dean. He knew that now. It was just some cruel trick.

The tears continued to stream down Sam's face, now tears of sadness when moments ago they had been of happiness.

Somehow this was worse then any of the physical torture Crowley had put Sam through thus far. He had dared to believe that his brother would return from the other side and save him only to have that feeble hope dashed to pieces.

Sam pressed his knuckles against his mouth to try and stifle the anguished sob threatening to break through. He failed.

Crowley turned his cold, dark eyes on Sam and smiled condescendingly, "Squirrel's dead, Moose. He's not coming back. No miracle recovery is going to reunite you two this time."

Dean- the thing that looked like Dean- stood and walked across the room to Crowley, shaking with barely contained laughter.

Sam closed his eyes and bowed his head, suddenly feeling ashamed.

He heard Crowley chuckling and shrank further away. Sam's back hit the cold cinderblock wall and he wished he could melt into it.

The young man only opened his eyes again when he heard the door close behind Crowley and the trickster who had masqueraded as Dean, once again staring into a room as dark as a demon's eye.

W

"I have a surprise for you, Sammy," Crowley crowed and the hunter peered anxiously over his shoulder at the demon.

Crowley stood in the doorway, one hand held out, palm downward apparently in thin air at the same height as his waist.

Sam shifted nervously, swallowing hard, unsure of what the King of Hell was doing.

It was then that Sam heard a soft growl coming from Crowley's direction. The demon shushed something and patted the air beneath his hand.

"I know you have a soft spot for animals so I thought I'd bring one in for you to play with," the demon told Sam in a patronizing tone.

Sam frowned, confused, hearing a second soft growl.

"This is Ripper," Crowley said, patting the air again, "He's still a puppy and needs some training. He hasn't had much experience but I'm sure he'll do just fine."

Sam's eyes widened. It was a Hellhound! Crowley had brought a Hellhound with him.

"No," Sam whimpered, "No, please… please…"

"Oh, come now," Crowley chastised, "Don't be like that."

Sam shook his head, terrified.

The demon crouched down and made scratching motions with his fingers, as though he were stroking the monster's chin. He leaned towards the beast and whispered loud enough for Sam to hear: "Sic him."

The hunter, unable to see the Hellhound, threw his arm up in front of his face to try and prevent the creature from biting his head or neck.

Sam cried out as strong jaws and needle-sharp teeth latched onto his forearm and sank in deeply. Sam kicked out with the leg that wasn't shackled and heard the Hellhound yelp as he managed to hit it in its broad chest. Unfortunately, it didn't release his arm and instead shook its head, tearing through skin and muscle, its teeth scraping against bone.

Blood pattered to the cement floor, an ever-growing puddle, and Sam lashed out blindly with his free hand, fingers hooked into claws to defend himself from the hound.

He heard the creature scream as he thumb sank into something soft and gelatinous- its eye- and the jaws released his arm.

The limb was ruined and blood-soaked. Sam tried to lift his arm to press it against his chest but it refused to move. Crying in pain, Sam looked up at Crowley, the demon giving him the same scrutiny a Roman emperor might reserve for a Christian about to be eaten by a lion.

The young man was bowled over onto his back suddenly, two saucer-sized paws against his chest. Sam struggled to sit up, to topple the Hellhound but it dug its claws in, drawing blood.

Sam's chest heaved with pain and panic; he could smell the Hellhound's hot breath on his face- a rancid miasma of decomposing flesh and sulfur- and froze when the beast's jaws closed lightly around his throat, teeth pressing into the skin but not breaking through.

Sam snapped his eyes shut and waited for one horribly long minute for the Hellhound to take the killing bite.

"Ripper," Crowley called lazily, "Heel."

The pressure was lifted from Sam's chest and the jaws from his neck as the Hellhound left him and returned to its master's side.

The hunter didn't dare move. His injured arm sent electric pain shooting from fingertips to shoulder, the nerves raw and exposed.

Sam blinked and looked at his arm. It was healed, whole once again and painless.

Raising his eyes to peer across the room, Sam saw Crowley still standing in the doorway. The demon lifted a hand and pointed at him, "Sic him."

SPN

"We have to be getting close, don't you think?" Dean suggested, walking side-by-side with Benny.

The vampire shrugged, "Hopefully."

Dean nodded and fell silent. His thoughts turning to what he would do once he was back home.

Find Sam was his number one priority… and ask him why the hell he wasn't moving Heaven and Hell to break him out of Purgatory.

At first Dean had been concerned Sam had been in trouble but as he recalled the events that had taken place in SucroCorp, he was certain that his brother wasn't in danger.

Dick Roman had been obliterated and Cas assured him that any remaining Leviathans would rather flee then fight after realizing their leader had fallen. Of course they would still cause the usual mayhem monsters were known for, but Dean was sure Sam could take care of the stragglers left behind.

Sam had been far enough away not to be caught in the explosion caused by Dick Roman's death and would have had the sense to leave the Leviathan's headquarters before the police came to investigate.

Now Dean was wondering why Sam wasn't trying his damnedest to get him out. The older brother was certain there would be some kind of sign if Sam was trying to do just that.

But… nothing… not a peep.

And that bothered Dean.

What the hell was Sam doing?

The older brother knew what his sibling was like, especially when he was alone and had a sneaking suspicion Sam was in a downward spiral.

So… first things first. When Dean got back he'd find his brother, ream him for not even trying to rescue him- and deal with whatever mess Sam had made in the meantime- and continue where they had left off…

Dean's thoughts ended abruptly when Cas ran into him, causing him to stumble.

"What the hell, Cas?" he snapped, irritable but the angel ignored him.

"We must hide," the angel told his companions, "Now."

"What-" Dean began but Cas slapped a hand over his mouth, quieting him.

Dean glared at his friend and pulled the angel's hand away.

"Leviathans," Castiel breathed and Dean swore silently.

Speak of the Devil, he thought and followed his friend's lead as Cas headed into the deep underbrush of the forest.

SPN

Kevin closed his eyes and rubbed the lids with his thumbs.

His head was pounding with pain and his eyes felt gritty, dry from lack of sleep.

He had no idea how long he'd been sitting at this table, the tablet lying before him, trying to translate the damn text.

Opening his eyes slowly, the Prophet looked down at the stone again, the letters squiggling and jumping- unwilling to be read- and groaned.

"Keep reading!" the demon lackey guarding the only exit growled and Kevin glanced over his shoulder at the brute.

"I need a break," he told the man, "I can't do this non-stop."

The demon said nothing, glowering at him.

"Listen," Kevin continued, "Tell Crowley that if he wants this stupid thing deciphered- and deciphered properly- I need a bit of a rest. I'm going to burn-out if I don't take a break."

The demon sighed and left the room for a moment, leaving the prophet alone.

Kevin hoped that Crowley was reasonable enough to know that he couldn't keep him cooped up like this and push him to exhaustion and expect results.

The teen jumped a little when the door opened again and the demon guard stepped inside, Crowley right on his heels.

"So, you want a break, hm?" the King of Hell asked, arms crossed over his chest.

Kevin nodded mutely, his mouth dry. Oh man, he was in trouble now.

"Please?" the teen asked, cringing slightly.

Crowley sighed, "Well, I suppose a little jaunt around the place couldn't hurt."

Kevin stared at the demon in disbelief.

"What are you waiting for?" the demon king asked, "The red carpet? Stand up, we're going for a walk."

Hesitantly, the prophet stood and stepped away from the chair. He didn't know exactly what he expected to happen- he didn't burst into flames or anything- so he followed Crowley out the door, the demon placing one pudgy hand on his shoulder to steer him in the right direction.

Although Kevin hadn't seen much of the place where he was kept- except for the room Crowley had stashed him to read the tablet- he guessed they were in some sort of old factory or warehouse. They were walking down a long, disused hallway; the grey tiles on the floor were cracked, some of them missing altogether, the white walls coated with dust, the rows of fluorescent lights were broken, filled with dead flies.

About every twenty meters or so wall was punctuated by a small, square window set close to the ceiling. The windows only allowed weak, filmy light to filter through and really made no difference to the dimness of the corridor.

At the end of the hallway was an elevator shaft. The metal doors were dented and scratched, looking completely uninviting.

Crowley reached out and punched the arrow button that pointed downwards and an awful grinding, squealing sound filled the quiet hallway.

Kevin couldn't help but glance at the demon in disbelief. They were going in the elevator?

As though he knew exactly what the young man was thinking, Crowley spoke up, "You could always go back now and keep translating that tablet."

The teen shook his head, "No… this is fine."

Actually, Kevin was glad he had a bit of a chance to stretch his legs, they didn't feel so cramped anymore and even his headache seemed to have dulled.

With a metallic squawk, the elevator doors opened, revealing a dingy, dark lift. The grey carpeting on the floor of the elevator was threadbare and stained, the walls scratched and the paint peeling.

Kevin stepped into the lift cautiously, the elevator groaning with his weight and he moved into a corner automatically, his heart beating fearfully.

Crowley stepped inside much more calmly and pressed one of the buttons. The doors slid shut and the elevator made its slow decent to the last floor.

"Wh-Where are we going?" Kevin asked, stammering.

Crowley just smiled at him, "You'll see."

The teen swallowed thickly, not liking the sound of that at all.

The elevator ground to a halt, jostling its occupants momentarily before the doors opened and they exited the lift. Kevin stared around the hallway, it looked almost exactly like the one that led to room he was kept in, except this one was more grungy, derelict and, of course windowless. The teen had the distinct impression that they were in a basement area of the warehouse and wondered why on earth Crowley had taken them down here.

Kevin opened his mouth to ask the demon king just that question when he saw that Crowley was already walking down the hallway, ignoring him.

The teen trotted to catch up with the demon and panted out his question.

"You'll see," Crowley repeated irritatingly and Kevin sighed.

Why did he want to know so badly anyway? What if Crowley was taking him to see something horrible? What if he was going to get hurt because he'd had to open his big mouth and ask for a break?

Kevin glanced around the hallway and shivered, it looked like something out of a horror film. He half-expected to see Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers appear at the far end of the corridor, weapon raised and murder on the mind.

Kevin nearly walked into Crowley, as the demon stopped abruptly in front of a metal door that was padlocked shut. As the teen watched, the king of Hell took a key from the pocket of his suit and unlocked the door.

The door looked heavy and it revealed darkness as Crowley pulled it open effortlessly. The demon only opened the door enough for himself and Kevin to slip through, no further and gestured to the young man.

"What's inside?" Kevin asked, feeling a rather morbid sense of curiosity bubble up inside him.

"Go see for yourself," the demon said and reached into the room, turning on the overhead light from the switch beside the doorway.

The room was unremarkable. It had a bare concrete floor and unpainted cinderblock walls. Like the hallway outside, it lacked windows and only a naked bulb hanging in the center of the ceiling gave of a glaring, yellow light. The only furniture inside the room was the rusted skeleton of a bedframe bolted to the floor against the far wall.

Kevin's eyes swept across the room once before he noticed that the room was not as empty as he first thought. How had he not seen the figure curled up beside the bedframe?

The teen took a step inside the room, trying to get a better look at its occupant.

It was a man, Kevin was certain of that, and he appeared to have been terribly abused. His back was to the door as he curled in on himself. Kevin saw that he was trembling visibly.

The man wore only a pair of stained, ripped jeans, a length of chain trailed from one of his legs to the bedframe where a shackle had been closed around one of the frame's metal legs.

Even though he could not see the man's face, Kevin could clearly see the outline of his ribs and spine. His skin was grimy and covered with red sores- from malnutrition possibly- while his matted, stringy hair just brushed his narrow shoulders.

Kevin tore his gaze away from the prisoner to look at Crowley, "Who is he?"

The demon didn't answer; instead he cleared his throat and took a step towards the man.

"Oy, Moose," Crowley said, speaking directly to the man, "I've brought you a friend."

Moose? What kind of a name was that? Kevin had watched the movie, The Goonies, when he'd been a kid and the image of Lotney "Sloth" Fratelli suddenly came to mind. If this man- Moose, Kevin reminded himself- was anything like that memorable film character, then why was he here? Why was Crowley keeping him chained up like some sort of animal?

Kevin watched as the man seemed to shrink even more and whimper. The teen took a step forward, not sure what he was going to do or say but feeling his heart go out to this poor creature.

"Hey," the prophet said quietly, "Hey, its okay… I'm not going to hurt you…"

Kevin watched in astonishment as slowly, the man looked over his shoulder at him. The man's face was thin, his green eyes sunken into their sockets, surrounded by purple circles, his greasy hair laying limply against his cheeks and brow. The man's lower jaw was covered in a dark beard, a telltale sign that he had been captive here for some time.

The thing that struck the teen the most was that although the man was staring at him warily, he also saw a gleam of recognition in his green eyes although he was certain he had never seen the man before.

"K-Kevin?"

The prophet jumped when the man spoke his name in a raspy voice.

"Y-Yeah," the teen answered, "That's my name."

Kevin looked to Crowley, seeing the demon smirking.

"Who is he?!" the teen demanded, pointing to the man for emphasis, "How does he know my name?"

Crowley rolled back on heels for a moment, hands clasped behind his back, "You've met before. This, Kevin, is the one and only Sam Winchester."

The teen stared back at the cowering man, mouth open in shock.

"Sam?"

This was the hunter who'd rescued him from the Leviathan's clutches at SucroCorp?

"What did you do to him?" Kevin asked, his tone accusatory.

Even though he didn't know the Winchesters all that well, he was alarmed at the dramatic change in the hunter.

Rushing to Sam's side, Kevin dropped to his knees, knowing he couldn't help the hunter but knowing he had to do something.

Without even thinking, the teen spat onto the sleeve of his shirt and brought it up to Sam's face, trying to wipe away at least some of the dirt and grime. Sam didn't take his eyes off him as he bit his lip, rubbing the soft fabric against Sam's face as hard as he dared.

"K-Kevin," Sam said and reached out with one ice-cold hand to grab the younger man's wrist.

"I'm okay," the teen assured him, "Don't worry about me."

Carefully pulling his wrist from Sam's grip- the task easier then it should have been- Kevin continued his futile ministrations.

The prophet had all but forgotten he wasn't alone with Sam and he jumped when Crowley spoke up.

"Isn't this touching?"

Kevin glared at the demon king, angrily.

"Let him go, Crowley," he demanded, "You have me, why does Sam need to be here?"

If the king of Hell had wanted to use Sam as leverage, it wasn't working; Kevin had had no idea about the hunter's presence in the warehouse until a few moments ago and the demon had not used the human to force his prophet to do what he wanted.

"You think you're the only special human on my radar?" Crowley asked, "No, I have my own reasons for keeping Moose here."

Kevin opened his mouth to argue but he didn't know what to say.

He looked at Sam again and wondered just what the hell Crowley had done to him.

"That's enough social interaction, I think," the demon announced and stepped forward.

Sam cringed away from the demon king, eyes wide and fearful. Kevin positioned himself so that he sat in front of the older man.

"Don't you come near him," Kevin hissed, sounding braver then he felt.

Crowley sighed as though the whole episode was tedious and reached out, grabbing the front of the teen's shirt.

Kevin flinched when he felt Sam's chilly hand wrap around his wrist and hold on.

Crowley growled and tugged on Kevin's shirt, refusing to release him.

"Sam," the prophet ground out, "Let go."

Kevin didn't really think the demon would hurt him, no, he was Crowley precious prophet, but Sam… it was clear that the king of Hell would punish him for this little transgression if he didn't give up and let go of his wrist.

"Sam," Kevin repeated, "Let me go."

The hunter's hand slipped away from the teen's wrist and Kevin staggered to his feet, Crowley releasing the front of his shirt to lay a chubby hand on his shoulder instead, steering him towards the door.

Before the demon could push him out of the room, Kevin glanced over his shoulder at Sam and saw the man sitting on his knees, staring wide-eyed back at him.

As Kevin stepped out into the hallway, Crowley flicked off the light, plunging the room into darkness once again and pulled the door shut with a resounding clang.


	8. Chapter Eight

Dean resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably as he lay on his stomach on the cold, damp forest floor, Castiel's hand pressing into the small of his back.

The angel lay in the same position as the hunter, watching as the Leviathans searched for them just beyond the tree line, on the edge of the river.

On Dean's other side, Benny waited, eyes likewise following the progress of the two monsters only meters away from their hiding spot.

"Why-" Dean began to whisper but Castiel glared at him meaningfully and the hunter quieted.

The man kicked himself mentally as, moments later, one of the Leviathans, who looked like a severe businesswoman, broke through the edge of the forest and stared in their direction.

"They were just here," Dean heard her tell her companion, "They couldn't have gone far."

Dean barely dared to breathe as the Leviathan's eyes raked over him, feeling like a mouse trying to hide under the scrutiny of an owl, before the monster turned away.

"Maybe they are on the other side of the river," the woman said and the hunter watched as the Leviathan returned to the water's edge.

The three companions did not move for a long time, even though Dean was sure the Leviathans were no longer nearby. Castiel seemed particularly agitated by their appearance.

Finally, his limbs protesting the sudden movement, Dean pushed himself to his hands and knees, brushing dirt and leaves from his shirt and jacket.

"You okay, Cas?" Dean asked concernedly as the angel stood up and half-heartedly brushed his own clothes off.

"We must hurry to the portal," Castiel said, "The Leviathans know we are close by and will not stop until we are dead."

"You lost them before," Dean reminded his friend, "Maybe you'll get lucky again."

The angel turned his blue eyes on the hunter, "I have a feeling my luck is about to run out."

"Instead of standing around and talking about it," Benny interrupted, "Let's find the portal. It shouldn't be too far now."

SPN

Kevin sank back onto his chair, hearing the door slam shut behind him, and stared despondently at the tablet sitting on the table.

Why the hell did Crowley have Sam chained up like an animal? What did he mean when he said that he wasn't the only special human he was interested in? So Sam was a hunter, there were others, so why did that make him so important to Crowley? Was it because Sam was an enemy and he finally had his hands on him or was there something more going on, something that Kevin didn't know?

The teen shook his head slightly, unable to get the image of Sam, starved and tortured, out of his mind.

Sighing, Kevin squeezed his eyes shut.

Why was he even thinking about Sam Winchester, there was nothing he could do to help him? Hell, he couldn't even help himself. He was trapped here too. Worrying about the hunter wouldn't help him so Kevin violently shoved all thoughts of Sam out of the way and stared at the waiting tablet, not wanting to read anymore but knowing he didn't have a choice. If he refused to do as Crowley asked and translate the damn thing, would he end up like Sam too? Better not to find out.

Almost as soon as he set his gaze on the stone, a headache began to throb between his eyes but he read through the pain, his thoughts once again consumed with translating the Enochian into English.

SPN

Sam curled in on himself, shaking. He closed his eyes tightly and whimpered when the door opened and one of Crowley's goons stepped inside, flicking on the light.

The demon sneered and threw a wax paper-wrapped sandwich at the cowering hunter.

"Don't know why Crowely doesn't just kill you and get it over with," the man growled and left the room, turning off the light before slamming the door shut again.

Sam didn't move. Tears slipped through his closed eyelids and trickled down his nose and cheeks.

He heard the scrabbling, squeaking of rats but ignored them, having no appetite for the paltry sandwich left for him anyway.

"Dean," Sam whispered pleadingly, "Dean…"

SPN

"There it is!" Benny hissed and pointed upstream. Dean stared where the vampire was indicating and saw a pile of rocks on the opposite side of the river.

"I don't see anything," he claimed.

Benny sighed and grabbed Dean's shoulder, "Right there. You see?"

Dean squinted and stared at the rocks. Nope. Nothing… wait… what was that? Dean narrowed his eyes to slits and saw the air in front of the stones shift. Yeah, that was the only way to describe it, it looked as though the air shimmered like one of those mirages he sometimes saw on the road when it was really hot outside and the asphalt looked as though there was water on the road ahead even though it was dry as a bone.

"See it now?" Benny asked and Dean nodded, "Yeah, so… how do we get out?"

The vampire looked from the hunter to the angel, "Well, that's the tricky part…"

SPN

Crowley watched with an amused smirk as Sam writhed on the cold, concrete floor, crying out in pain.

The king of Hell waved a hand lazily and Sam lay still, panting heavily for air, his face streaked with sweat and tears.

The young man peeled his eyes open and stared at the black-suited demon.

"Please…" Sam begged, "Don't… Please…"

Crowley smiled, "Sorry Moose, I'm having too much fun."

The demon waved his hand again and Sam twitched as though he were having a seizure, screaming in agony.

SPN

Kevin stared unbelievingly for a moment at the carnage he had caused. He had done it. He couldn't believe it had worked but it had.

He had translated part of the tablet and had found the recipe for a bomb that would destroy demons. Taking the risk, the teen had convinced Crowley and his goons that it was a spell to close up Heaven and so he'd convinced the King of Hell that he needed the ingredients.

Working carefully, Kevin had constructed his incendiary, praying that it did what the tablet claimed it would.

And it had. Just seconds ago, Kevin's demon guard had been looming menacingly in front of the door, now he was nothing more than a pile of ash on the floor.

Taking a deep breath, his heart pounding frantically in his chest, Kevin peered out of the room and saw both ends of the hallway was empty.

Moving as quickly as he could, the teen stepped outside, the tablet tucked tightly beneath one arm.

He hoped Crowley wouldn't appear- and felt guilty for thinking so- because if he didn't then that would allow Kevin the time he needed to get the hell out of this place. But that also meant that the demon was probably in that dank, lonely basement room, torturing Sam Winchester.

Kevin hesitated, but only for a second, he had no more ingredients to make a second bomb so going down to try and free the imprisoned hunter would be suicide.

No, it was best to only think of getting himself out, Kevin decided. Sam wouldn't want him to risk his lift trying to get him out.

So the young man hurried as quietly and quickly as possible down the hallway, listening for footsteps that would announce any demons approaching.

Kevin made it to the end of the hallway, the opposite of the way he had gone with Crowley, and found another door, leading down another hallway.

W

Luck was on Kevin's side as he made his way through the maze-like corridors in the old warehouse, making sure to remain in areas that had windows since he was almost certain he was on the first floor of the building.

There! The front door! Kevin's heart skipped a beat and he broke into a run as he saw the broken EXIT sign ahead of him, freedom just meters away.

Shoving the door open wide with his shoulder, the teen stumbled into the bright afternoon sunlight.

But he couldn't celebrate, not yet, not until he was far away from this damned place. Glancing over his shoulder as guilt once again rose up within his chest, Kevin darted across the empty parking lot, towards the road... and freedom.

SPN

Sam slammed bodily against the wall and slid upwards, the chain linking him to the bedframe straining.

Crowley narrowed his eyes, his face red with anger.

"Please," Sam croaked, grimacing in pain as the manacle dug into his ankle, "Stop…"

Crowley wasn't listening; he was too incensed to even make a sarcastic comment about the young man's pleading.

Instead, he clenched his hand into a fist and smiled at the choked sound Sam began to make, his face turning purple from lack of oxygen.

Before Sam could pass out the demon uncurled his hand and the young man began coughing and hacking, struggling to draw in air.

"Please…" Sam rasped, his throat raw, "No…"

The king of Hell made a fist again and Sam's pleading was cut off along with his oxygen.

W

The demon pulled his arm down quickly and Sam collapsed to the floor, coughing and crying, his breath rattling as he fought to draw in enough air. The young man cowered weakly as Crowley stalked towards him.

"No," Sam whimpered, hands over his head, "Please…"

SPN

Dean had been skeptical- very skeptical- about the spell Benny had told him but amazingly it worked.

Now, all he had to do was grab Cas and get through the portal and they'd be back home.

Dean crouched against the sun-warmed rocks, encouraging as the angel climbed towards them. Although the pile wasn't very high, it did require a bit of a climb and unfortunately made Dean and Castiel stand out to any enemies who might be watching.

"C'mon Cas," Dean said, "You're almost there."

He reached down with one hand to assist the angel, the other clutching the rough edge of a large flat stone directly in front of the portal so that he wouldn't pitch forward if he leaned over too far.

The angel though, was clearly tired- weren't they all- and struggled somewhat to climb the mound.

Dean's gaze flicked away from his friend for an instant when he thought he saw movement behind him and he gasped, "Cas! Look out!"

The hunter recognized the female Leviathan who had been searching for them earlier, her partner a male that they hadn't seen, coming up behind Castiel, making short work of the rock pile.

The angel glanced over his shoulder and froze.

"Cas! C'mon!" Dean called, reaching forward as far as he dared, his fingers inches away from the shoulder of his friend's trench coat.

From his position at the top of the rocks, Dean could do nothing but watch in horror as the Leviathans pounced on the angel and began to drag him down to the riverbank.

"CAS!" Dean called, about to jump down and defend his friend but the angel turned to him, "Dean, go! Get away!"

"Cas! No!" Dean shouted, torn between fighting and fleeing.

"GO!" Cas yelled roughly as he was pulled further and further away.

"Castiel!" Dean called one last time before the angel hit the riverbank, falling into the mud and was attacked by the Leviathans.

Glancing over his shoulder, Dean knew he didn't have much time. The sounds of fighting drifted up to him and he heard the angel call out once again before being silence.

"Get away from here!"

That was it. Dean pushed himself away from the edge of the rock and headed towards the portal, his arm throbbing painfully.

"Goodbye Cas," Dean muttered, "I'll get you out."

Closing his eyes, the hunter dove headfirst into the portal.


	9. Chapter Nine

Kevin didn't relax, even as he turned a corner and trotted down the gravel shoulder of the highway. He'd feel better once he was far, far away from the warehouse.

A red minivan slowed down as it came up behind him and the teen saw a middle-aged woman driving.

"Son, are you alright?" she asked, leaning across towards the passenger's side of the car.

"Uh… Yeah?" Kevin muttered and stopped walking.

"Do you need a lift?" the woman asked. She had curly red hair and freckles all over her face. She was wearing a blue t-shirt and black knee-high shorts. Kevin could make out two girls of around eleven or twelve sitting in the backseat, wearing soccer jerseys.

Kevin hesitated for a moment; what if it was a trap? What if the woman and the two girls who looked like her daughters were really demons sent by Crowley?

"I can take you to the police station," the woman offered.

"Okay," the teen said and reached for the door handle. Kevin slipped into the vehicle and sat in the passenger's seat.

"Uh…" Kevin hesitated as the woman began driving again, "This might be a weird question, but, could you tell me where I am?"

The woman smiled and told him the name of the city. Kevin held back a gasp; he was nowhere near the SurcoCorp building where the Leviathans had been.

He asked the woman if she would take him to the nearest bus station and she said she would.

"I normally don't pick up people," she told him, "But you looked like you were in a bit of trouble. Are you in any sort of trouble?"

Kevin shook his head, "No… not really. Just lost."

The teen sat back and actually closed his eyes, having a feeling that this woman was just a Good Samaritan, and thought about returning home and reuniting with his mother.

SPN

Dean slammed into the ground, groaning in pain as he landed and rolled to his feet, instantly alert.

It was dark and he was in a forest. For one horrible second he was afraid the portal hadn't worked and he was still in Purgatory.

But then he relaxed when the sounds of crickets and owls- animals that had been noticeably absent in limbo- invaded his ears and he sighed.

Even though he didn't exactly know where he was, Dean assumed that there would be a roadway somewhere, perhaps even a campground if he was lucky, that would lead him to civilization and cars so he could release Benny and find out where the hell his brother was and why he hadn't even tried to help rescue him.

Keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of people, Dean began making his way stealthily through the forest, his heart pounding in his chest.

SPN

Crowley was pacing back and forth in front of Sam now; the young man struggling to draw in breath through is bruised and battered throat, tears of pain and fear streaming down his face.

"I can't believe it!" the demon snarled, talking to himself, "He escaped! He got away!"

Crowley looked down at Sam, "He won't get far. I have demons everywhere."

The hunter lifted his head and looked up at the demon.

"I don't think he's coming back for you, Moose," the king of Hell told him, smirking.

Sam bowed his head, still fighting to breathe normally.

"Besides," Crowley muttered, again, talking to himself and thinking of the young prophet, "All isn't lost. I still have Sam Winchester."

"SAM WINCHESTER!" the demon shouted, causing the young man to flinch in fear at the sudden outburst, "The great and powerful hunter reduced to a sniveling, whimpering wretch."

Sam had finally stopped panting for air and looked cautiously up at Crowley. The demon king met his gaze and smiled.

SPN

Dena staggered past the thick, dark trees, starting to feel disoriented. And damn… his arm hurt like a son of a bitch.

The hunter was starting to think he was going to wander around the woods until morning when his eyes caught the faint orange glow of a campfire.

"Just hold on a little bit longer, Benny," Dean muttered, "We're almost there."

Following the light of the fire, Dean approached somewhat cautiously, not wanting to terrify whoever was having a little camping trip in the middle of the woods at night.

As Dean drew closer, he heard the sounds of kid's laughing and knew he'd stumbled upon a family probably on vacation.

A twig broke beneath his boot and the people around the fire suddenly went silent.

"It's probably just a deer," Dean heard a male voice said, "They're all over these woods."

"What if it's a cougar…" a woman's voice asked fearfully, "Or a bear?"

Well, here goes nothing. Dean stepped forward into the clearing and grimaced, apologizing silently when the family startled, the wife moving closer to her husband and the man standing partway up from the log he had been sitting on.

"No bears," the hunter said in as friendly a tone as he could manage, "Just me."

"Who are you?" the man asked, "What do you want?"

Dean saw that the there were three kids, two little girls who were clearly twins about nine or ten years old and a boy of about six, all holding sticks with marshmallows out towards the fire, now all staring at him.

"Look," Dean said, "I don't want to hurt anyone. I just need directions to the road and…. Is that your car?"

The hunter began and paused, his eyes catching sight of a champagne-coloured 1991 Ford Taurus.

"Yes," the man said guardedly.

Dean smiled, "Can I borrow it?"

The man frowned, clearly not pleased to be asked to give his car to a stranger.

"Look," Dean said and dug into the pocket of his jacket for his wallet, holding his other hand out to show he wasn't a threat. Finding what he wanted he pulled his fake FBI badge from the wallet and held it out, "I'm a Federal Agent and this is an emergency. I need your car. I promise it'll be returned to you."

"Harry," the woman said, "He's an FBI Agent."

The husband, clearly not convinced, nodded reluctantly. He probably just didn't want to get Dean angry, especially not with his wife and children right there.

Harry grabbed his keys from the pocket of his jeans and held them out at arm's length towards Dean.

The hunter snatched the keys from the man before he could change his mind and trotted around the campfire towards the vehicle.

"Thank you," Dean told them, "Thank you. You're doing your country a great service."

Dean paused and stepped forward once again, picking up the bag of marshmallows the family had been using.

"I'll need these too," he commented and climbed into the driver's seat of the car, leaving the family to stare after him in confusion as he pulled away from them.

SPN

Kevin stood in the middle of the bustling bus station. He had a ticket in his hand that would get him onto a bus heading to Neighbor, Michigan, his hometown.

He had been so excited at the prospect of going home, seeing his mother, letting her know that he was okay…

But now, he hesitated.

If Crowley and his goons had known he had been at the SucroCorp building, surely they would know where he lived, as well?

"I can't go home," the teen said out loud, his statement ignored by others around him, concerned with their own destinations.

Kevin looked around, unsure of what to do, where to go next. Sighing, he made his way back to the counter.

"Can I exchange this ticket for a different one?" he asked the man behind the counter.

"Only if it's to a place the same distance away as the first one."

The teenager nodded and picked a different city then his hometown. Feeling a sense of loss, Kevin picked up his new ticket that the man slid across the countertop to him and found a seat to wait for his bus.


	10. Chapter Ten

Kevin frowned as he listened to the voice mail messages Dean Winchester had left on his phone.

How could Dean be alive? He'd been blown up when he stabbed Dick Roman, hadn't he?

Maybe it was a trick, a trap, of Crowley's to lure him back to the warehouse?

No, the teen shook his head as he listened to Dean's increasingly panicked voice, if it was a trap, wouldn't he ask Kevin to come himself and not just call him?

Try as the teen might, he couldn't forget Sam, the sight of him curled in on himself in that room, and he couldn't help but feel guilty that he hadn't even attempted any sort of rescue.

The decision to call Dean back was harder then Kevin expected it would be, the teen telling himself that if the older Winchester was truly back from the dead then he would go and get Sam back from Crowley.

If Sam was still alive.

The teen cringed at the thought. It had been weeks since he'd created that bomb the tablet had described and slipped out of the warehouse. When Kevin had seen Sam, the older man had appeared very ill and the teen wasn't sure the hunter was going to make it if he was honest with himself.

Let Dean deal with that, Kevin told himself; just call him back and tell him where Sam is. He can kill Crowley while he's at it.

Taking a deep breath, the teen pushed his plate away- he had stopped at a tiny diner to eat- and pulled out his brand new cell phone.

Typing in Dean's number, Kevin held his breath and waited for an answer.

The teen didn't have to wait long, after two rings, the phone was answered and Kevin heard Dean's cautious, anxious voice greet him.

"Hello?"

Here goes nothing, the prophet thought and told Dean where his brother was.

SPN

Sam froze when the door was opened and the light turned on. The young man curled tightly in on himself, terrified of what Crowley was going to do to him now.

Please, Sam begged silently, no more… no more…

"Sammy!" A voice- a familiar voice- choked and Sam shrank even further inward, raising his arms to put his hands over his ears.

Please, Sam whimpered, not again… not him…

Sam heard the fake Dean- the thing that looked so much like him- breathe his name and the younger Winchester forced himself not to look back. He couldn't, he wouldn't fall for that trick again.

Crowley's voice spoke up, causing Sam to shake fearfully, wishing he could vanish completely, "Sammy, I've got a surprise for you."

No, no please… no… no more…

"Sammy," he heard the thing pretending to his brother call out, "It's okay… I'm here."

Sam closed his eyes as tears began to pool in them.

"Don't tell me you don't even recognize your own brother when he's right in front of you?" Crowley mocked.

Wasn't Dean… Wasn't really Dean…

But Dean's voice- the thing's voice- sounded different than before. It didn't sound happy, not at all. This Dean wasn't glad to see him but sad.

Cautiously, Sam peered over his shoulder.

…And there stood Dean.

Sam took in his brother's combat boots, blue jeans, and grey long-sleeved shirt beneath his ever-present leather jacket. Ruby's knife was held tightly in one hand. Dean's face was haggard, his hazel eyes shining wearily as he looked right back at Sam.

It had to be Dean… it just had to be. It just looked too much like Sam's brother not to be the real thing. Not even Crowley and his imposter could pull that off. There was no smile now, instead, Dean's eyes were wet with unshed tears and his mouth was pulled down in a frown.

Slowly, carefully, Sam uncurled himself from the fetal position he'd been in and sat up on his knees, hoping and praying that it really was Dean standing before him.

Sam watched in shock as his brother turned quickly to the side, pulling his fist back and punched Crowley right in the mouth. The demon fished a handkerchief out of his breast pocket and dabbed delicately at the blood at the corner of his mouth, eyeing Dean.

"I guess in your opinion I deserved that," Crowley said but Dean wasn't listening, he was moving towards Sam.

The younger hunter began to shuffle forward on his knees, too weak to stand up, certain now that this really was his brother- the imposter would never hit Crowley- but was stopped when he reached the end of the chain shackling him to the bed.

No! No! Sam thought frantically, Dean!

"D'n!" Sam rasped, reaching out as far as he could, hands shaking, tears welling up in his eyes.

Dean jumped as though he'd been shocked and stared, stunned at the air before him. Sam saw him try and continue moving forward but he couldn't.

Dean turned angrily to Crowley.

"D'n!" Sam cried, struggling to reach his brother, not even listening to their conversation, "D'n!"

Sam froze as the demon stopped talking to Dean and began walking towards him. Terrified, Sam curled in on himself, holding his hands over his head in a futile act of protection.

"No," Sam moaned, his heart pounding in his chest, "No… please… don't…"

Crowley said something to Dean but Sam couldn't hear the demon over his blood pounding in his ears.

The young man gasped when Crowley grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head up. Sam's tears of fear overflowed and spilled down his cheeks.

He saw Dean struggling against the invisible barrier, pressing against it to try and break through.

"Don't hurt him!" Sam's brother shouted and for one amazing second the king of Hell let go of Sam.

The young man began to curl in on himself again when he saw Crowley flick a hand towards him from the corner of his eye.

Pain exploded in Sam's abdomen as something inside him broke and he cried out, blood spraying from his mouth.

Dean shouted something but Sam didn't hear, crimson liquid continued to dribble from the young man's mouth and struggled to draw in enough air-

As suddenly as it had started, the pain vanished. Sam sank to the concrete floor, panting for air but no longer hurt. Hot tears poured from Sam's eyes as he lifted a hand to wipe the blood away from his mouth. The hunter closed his eyes, his breath rasping in his chest as Crowley and Dean continued talking.

Dean… Sam thought, please… Dean…

The younger Winchester listened to the two sets of raised voices; not focusing on either when suddenly only Dean's voice remained.

"Sammy!" he heard his brother cry out and within seconds Dean was right beside him.

Sam couldn't help the whimper that escaped him as he grabbed his brother's shirt and buried his face in the soft material, trembling as he breathed in Dean's familiar and comforting scent.

"Hey," Dean cooed, laying his hands gently on his head, "It's okay now. I'm here, Sammy. I've got ya."

Sam heard a new voice in the room and he stiffened when the owner of that voice came close.

"Can you help me get this off him?" Dean asked the owner of the new voice and Sam carefully peered up at his brother with one eye, face pressed against his sibling's shirt.

"It's okay, Sammy," Dean assured him, stroking his filthy hair, "I've got ya."

The younger man remained as still as possible- knowing that Dean wouldn't let anyone hurt him- as the owner of the new voice… that sounded oddly familiar… to unlock the shackle from around his ankle.

"Alright Sammy," Dean murmured to him softly, "I'm going to help you stand up, okay?"

Sam didn't want to move. He just wanted to lay curled up with his head buried in his brother's shirt but he didn't protest. Dean gripped his arms, gently but firmly and pulled him up as he stood.

Sam whimpered in pain and his legs almost collapsed beneath him but Dean quickly put one of his younger brother's arms across his shoulder so he wouldn't fall.

"Garth," Sam heard Dean say, "Can you grab his other arm?"

A hunter… that's who it was… now Sam remembered… Sam allowed Garth to take his other arm and drape it across his shoulder so that he was supported between him and Dean.

Slowly, the three made their way out of the room, Sam's heart pounding fearfully in his chest but they met no other demons in the maze of hallways coursing through the warehouse.

Exhausted, Sam collapsed as soon as they stepped outside, the young man raising a hand to shield his eyes from the bright sunshine.

"I'll get the car," Garth suggested and Dean nodded, pulling the keys from his pocket and handing them to the wiry hunter.

Sam listed to one side, shaky and tired, but Dean wrapped his arms around him instead and drew him close.

"I've got ya, Sammy," Dean murmured to him, "I've got ya now."

W

The familiar growl of the Impala drew closer and closer to the brothers before Garth parked. Sam looked up at the classic Chevy and felt tears well up in his eyes again.

"C'mon Sammy," Dean said gently to him and helped him stand while the other hunter opened the back door of the car.

"You need-" Garth began to ask but Dean shook his head, "I've got it."

Sam clambered into the Impala's backseat and sank down against its leather bench seat, mildly surprised when Dean sat beside him. Sam smiled tiredly and leaned heavily against Dean, reaching out to grip his brother's coat.

"Hey," Sam's brother murmured and put a comforting arm around his thin shoulders, "I'm not going anywhere, Sammy. I'm staying right here."

Sam nodded and closed his eyes, falling into the first peaceful sleep he'd had in almost a year, lulled by his brother's presence and the rhythmic sound of the Chevy's tires on the road.

SPN

"What are you going to do now?" Garth asked as Dean murmured comfortingly to his brother, one hand absent-mindedly stroking Sam's hair.

The older Winchester shrugged and looked around the motel room.

"Go back to Rufus' cabin," he decided, "Rest there for a while, and give Sammy time to heal."

Garth nodded, "No hunting?"

Dean made a face, "No… at least not for a bit."

The older brother glanced down again at his younger sibling for a moment before looking back at Garth.

"Thanks, by the way," Dean muttered, "For helping me rescue Sam. I'm not sure I could have done it on my own."

The wiry hunter waved a hand, dismissing Dean's thanks, "Sam's my friend. If I'd known where he was… I would have gotten him out."

The older brother nodded, biting his lip.

"I thought he'd abandoned me," Dean muttered, "I thought he didn't care."

Garth frowned, a confused look on his face and he clearly wanted to know where Dean had been the past year but he didn't ask, not wanting to ruin the moment.

Dean looked up at Garth, his hazel eyes welling with tears, "I should have known better. I should have known Sam would never have given up on me."

The smaller hunter nodded, "He's your brother. You've gotta stick close."

The elder Winchester smiled.

Garth was right. It was only he and Sam, Dean and his baby brother against the world. If they didn't have each other they didn't have anything.

Standing up carefully, not wanting to startle his sibling, Dean peered down at Sam, his heart swelling in his chest.

Leaning over the bed, Dean brushed Sam's long bangs away from his brow, causing his brother to smile in his sleep.

"I love you, Sammy," Dean whispered quietly so Garth wouldn't hear, "No matter where I am."

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by two fanfictions posted on Fanfiction.com. They are Grettingirl123's "Return From The Demons Lair" and CeCe Away's "Persephone Deal".


End file.
